The Building Blocks of Love
by Daisyangel
Summary: my entry for nanowrimo 09 Horatio, Speed and Eric are together. Warning! This is slash, don't like it? don't read it! Pairings H/E/S and Adel Sevilla/Frank Tripp. The moment we've all been waiting for! Please R/R!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Eric stared longingly at Horatio and Tim who were wrapped up in a warm embrace in the doorway to H's office. Shift had just ended and the two men were seeking comfort in each other after the little girl they'd been searching for had been found dead on the side of the highway with her murderer hovering over the girls naked body clearly having just had sex with the little girl. The awfulness of the case had stuck with him as well. Who could ever hurt a child especially in such a brutal way? He could feel the familiar tug in his heart when he saw Speed place a tender kiss on the corner of the redhead's mouth. He wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to be loved completely and totally by the two men standing in the office at the top of the stairs he was standing in front of. What he'd had drilled into his head for as long as he could remember about loving another man being wrong was playing havoc with his heart which said go for it. In his head he could hear his mother quoting scriptures about how loving a man was wrong but he'd decided long ago that not everything he'd learned from his parents was always the be all end all they implied it to be.

"When are you going to stop staring at them and tell them you want to be in a relationship with them?" Calleigh questioned coming up next to him.

"Jeez! Make some noise next time, will ya, Cal?" he cried clapping his hand to his rapidly racing heart.

"Sorry, but you never answered my question," she added.

"What makes you think they want to be in a relationship with me in the first place? They look pretty happy on their own," Eric commented.

"Well for one thing the looks they give you when you're not looking."

"What kind of looks do you mean?" Eric wondered.

"The kind that say they want you in their bed naked and screaming out their names as they have their wicked way with you," she explained. Eric stared at Calleigh wide-eyed.

"Cal?" he gulped his mouth suddenly going dry. He could feel heat flooding his face and another part of his body was becoming hard at the thoughts his friend had just put in his mind. A cross between a moan and a whimper escaped Eric's lips before he could stop it. Calleigh smirked at the look on her friends face and the desire she could see smoldering in his eyes.

"What?" she asked impishly.

"Where do you come up with these things?"

"I have a vivid imagination and I read erotic stories, but that's beside the point. They want you, not only do I know because of the looks they give you, but also because I heard them talking about it the other day. They want to have a relationship with you but they don't know how to approach you. They're afraid you'd reject them," she told him.

"I do want to be in a relationship with H and Speed, but everything I was taught as a kid tells me it's wrong," Eric explained.

"Do you feel it's wrong in your heart?" Calleigh asked.

"No, I don't," Eric admitted. "I love them," Eric said softly. His eyes dropped and he intently studied his shoes. Reaching out a hand Calleigh tilted his chin so he was looking into her eyes.

"What's wrong Eric?" she asked softly.

"I've known I've loved them and wanted to be in a relationship with them for a long time but today is the first time I've actually said I love them out loud. I don't know what to do," Eric said desperately. Calleigh could see the conflict in her friend's eyes and she wanted desperately to help him. All she ever wanted was to see her friends happy.

"Then take the next step," she said confidently.

"What would that be?" he asked clearly confused and conflicted. Calleigh was about to respond when she caught sight of Horatio and Speed descending the stairs and moving towards them.

"You come home with us and we talk about this," Horatio answered softly as he placed an arm around Eric's shoulders. Eric who was still unsure turned doubt filled eyes to the two men.

"But why do you want me? I don't understand what's so good about me?" he asked doubtfully. Recognizing that this was a moment for just the three men Calleigh quietly made her exit after giving them a small wave. Moving so he was facing the Cuban-Russian CSI, Tim gently took Eric's face in his hands.

"We want you, make no mistake about it," he said softly.

"The balls in your court. We'll go home and talk this all out and whatever you want to do we'll accept," Horatio reassured him.

"If you want a relationship with us we'll accept that, but if you just want to remain friends we'll accept that to, no hard feelings," Speed assured him.

"Okay," Eric agreed as he turned and followed the other two men out of CSI.

"See you at the house," Speed said pulling Eric in for a kiss which Eric hesitantly but eagerly returned.

"MMM, you sure know how to kiss," Speed said with a satisfied smirk on his face as they pulled apart.

"I'll have to find out for myself in a little while," Horatio whispered in Eric's ear as he gently nipped the lobe. Eric whimpered at the contact and couldn't stop the happy sigh from escaping his lips. The other two men smiled at each other as they headed for Horatio's hummer. Just before Horatio pulled away he pulled Speed in for a kiss that left him reeling. Eric groaned from his spot next to his car. Here goes nothing, Eric thought as he climbed into his car and headed for Horatio and Speed's house. I just hope I don't fuck this up, Eric thought. This was something he wanted heart, body, and soul and he didn't want to do anything to screw up his chances.

"We may get what we've been wanting after all," Horatio commented as they made their way to their house.

"Yeah assuming Eric doesn't run," Speed added worriedly.

"I'm sure he's scared and probably conflicted but the looks he's been giving us say he wants us and he wants us bad," Horatio argued back.

"Your right, but I hope he realizes that even though we want him more than anything else in this world that we'll accept it if he just wants to be friends," Speed said.

"I think he does and if he doesn't we'll make sure he knows that," Horatio assured his lover just as they pulled up to the house. They smiled as they saw Eric sitting in his car his hands gripping the wheel and taking deep breaths.

"Looks like we're not the only nervous ones," Speed commented.

"It does, doesn't it," Horatio agreed as he stepped out of the hummer and made his way gracefully to the front door of the house Tim, he, and hopefully soon Eric shared.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Why don't the two of you go into the living room while I cook dinner?" Speed suggested.

"That's a great idea," Horatio agreed. Eric looked confused at the two men.

"We'll talk after dinner," Horatio said as he took Eric's hand and guided him to the living room and tugged on his hand until he sat on the couch. Smiling Horatio sat down beside him.

"Speed's got the chance to kiss you, now it's my turn," Horatio said huskily as he pulled the younger man in for a deep kiss. Humming in contentment Eric returned the kiss pulling Horatio closer. Threading his fingers through the silky red hair at the nape of Horatio's neck Eric let his tongue glide against Horatio's before moving it to the roof of Horatio's mouth and running it across it. The low purr that came from the older man clearly indicated how much he was enjoying it.

"MMM, Eric, yes, you taste so good," Horatio whispered against the other man's lips. They reluctantly broke the kiss when oxygen became a necessity.

"Tim's right you sure do know how to kiss," Horatio murmured against Eric's mouth.

"You're not too bad yourself," Eric responded as he pulled Horatio in for another kiss. A moan from the kitchen doorway broke the two men on the couch apart. Speed was standing there his eyes were dark with desire.

"As hot as it is to watch you two dinner's ready," Speed said. Nodding Eric and Horatio got off the couch and made there way into the kitchen.

"MMM, smells good, what are we having?" Eric wondered.

"Chicken Linguini with Broccoli and carrots," Speed answered. Taking places at the table they quickly dug in.

Once dinner had been eaten and Horatio and Eric had cleaned up much to Speed's chagrin they settled on the couch with Eric in the middle.

"So where do we start?" Eric questioned.

"We lay all our cards on the table then you tell us what you're thinking how does that sound?" Speed asked.

"Sounds good to me," Eric replied.

"We want to have a committed relationship with you. We don't take that lightly. We're exclusive, just Tim and I, but we want to bring you into that," Horatio told him.

"We've wanted to for a long time, but to be honest we weren't sure you were interested at first," Speed said.

"What made you realize that I was interested in being with you?" Eric questioned.

"The looks of longing and desire you were giving us when you thought we weren't looking," Speed replied. Eric's eyes widened at the realization that he'd been caught.

"You saw those?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, but only because we recognized them as the same ones we give each other and the ones we gave you. Plus Calleigh approached us one day and gave us the if your interested in having him in a relationship with you ask him but you hurt him and I'll shoot you and no one will find the body speech," Horatio added. Eric smiled he could see Calleigh confronting them and threatening their lives. A laugh escaped his lips at the image.

"Speaking of Cal, how'd she find out?" Speed asked.

"She saw me looking at you one day and point blank asked me if I liked both of you. Reflexively I denied it at first, but eventually she wore me down and I told her the truth. I said yes but that I wasn't sure what to do. I figured you guys didn't have any interest in me," he admitted.

"She's very persistent when she's looking for answers," Horatio said with a chuckle.

"MMM, yeah, she told me to go for it, but doubt stopped me. I was interested in you but you two looked so good together that I didn't think you wanted to even think about including me in your relationship," Eric said.

"Well, we do," Speed said as he fluttered his lashes as he leaned in for a kiss which Eric happily granted. As he'd done to Horatio earlier that evening Eric ran his tongue across Speed's before moving to the roof of Speed's mouth and running it across their. The moan and the lust that flashed in Speed's eyes made Eric smile.

"MMM, yes, Eric," Speed moaned.

"You like that?" Eric whispered.

"Y-yes," Speed stammered.

"Did he do that thing with his tongue where he drags it across the roof of your mouth?" Horatio asked. Speed nodded. "MMM, I liked that to," the redhead agreed.

"So what stopped you from approaching us besides the thought that we weren't interested in being with you?" Speed prompted getting them back to the original subject.

"It's complicated I want to be with the two of you, but everything I was taught as a child tells me it's wrong. It's hard to have my mind and heart working against each other. My heart wants to be with you, but my head keeps telling me that I was taught it's wrong. I don't feel that in my heart but I don't know what to do. My beliefs are important to me but my beliefs are changing and that scares me," Eric explained.

"We don't want you to change your beliefs just to make us happy," Horatio whispered as he leaned in and placed a kiss on Eric's lips.

"I know and I've done a lot of soul searching and I've come to a decision," Eric informed the two men on either side of him.

"What's that?" Horatio asked.

"I want to be happy and being with you will make me happy," Eric concluded.

"Well then that makes us happy to because we want to be with you as well," Horatio said as he began kissing the back of Eric's neck. Smiling Speed attacked his lips. Eagerly Eric returned the kiss while tilting his head to give Horatio better access. Both Tim and Horatio smiled when Horatio reached the spot just below Eric's chin and Horatio nipped at it and Eric groaned low in his throat. It sounded a lot like a purr.

"Were you a cat in a former life?" Speed asked cheekily.

"Huh?" Eric asked in confusion. His mind was clouded with lust and arousal.

"When Horatio licked that spot you purred like a cat," Tim explained. Leaning in Horatio licked the aforementioned spot eliciting another purr from Eric.

"Yeah that sound," he breathed against the younger man's neck.

"MMM, Horatio," Eric hummed in contentment. The older mans teeth scraping along his neck was very arousing.

"Do you like it when I lick and nibble at that spot?" Horatio whispered as he laved the spot he'd just bitten with his tongue.

"Y-y-yes," Eric whimpered as he bucked up so he could feel more of Horatio's mouth on his neck. The shift of position made Speed who was leaning over the Cuban-Russian CSI groan as his cock brushed against Eric's. Eric's eyes widened at the sensation.

"Speed..." he whimpered.

"What do you want, Eric?" Speed crooned.

"You," Eric ground out as he pulled Speed down on top of him. Both men moaned as they ground their erections together. Mutual sounds of pleasure came from the two CSI's on the couch as the friction provided encouragement for their erections to get harder. They were moving at a frantic pace needing more. Horatio took his attention from the spot on Eric's neck long enough to see what had caused the simultaneous moan. A moan escaped his parted lips at what he saw. Suddenly his pants were very constricting. Unbuttoning and unzipping them he pulled out his already semi-erect cock. Slowly he began stroking it as he watched his two lovers grind frantically against each other. A needy gasp came from his mouth as he reached the head and swirled his finger in the slit. The gasp drew his lover's attention and they both smiled as they saw the affect they were having on their older lover.

"See something you like?" Eric asked suggestively waggling his eyebrows.

"Yes, very much so," Horatio crooned as he stared hungrily at the two men on the couch. "Correction actually, I see two something's I like," he said as he leaned in and traded passionate kisses with both men reaching down and squeezing their cocks as he did so.

"Horatio!" Speed cried out.

"Oh yes!" Eric exclaimed as he felt Horatio's hand on his cock. A throaty moan came from the redhead's mouth. His cock was painfully hard and needed some serious attention soon. Tim could see the command in Horatio's eyes.

"What do you want us to do, H?" he asked.

"Strip." It was only one word but that one word spoke volumes. As quickly as they could both men stripped. Speed confidently but Eric with some hesitation. Unconsciously Eric wrapped his arms around himself trying to cover up. Both Horatio and Eric had seen him without a shirt on but completely naked was another thing.

"Don't cover yourself up. Let us see you. Let us see how incredible you are," Horatio coaxed. Their words slowly penetrated because Eric uncovered his arms and turned so his two lovers could see him. Horatio's strokes sped up on his cock and Speed let out a little growl as he pounced on Eric crushing their mouths together as he ground himself against the other man.

"You're so beautiful," Speed crooned as his hands traveled down Eric's toned body.

"MMM, Tim's right, you look good enough to eat," Horatio added as he stood up and moved behind Eric and trailed his tongue from the bottom of his spine to his shoulders. Eric tingled from the sensation. Horatios ministrations caused Eric to thrust against Speed causing the two men to harden even more. Reluctantly Horatio moved back to the couch to issue his next request.

"I want you to make each other come," Horatio instructed through half-lidded eyes.

"But... I've never..." Eric broke off uncertainly. He looked down in shame. Reaching out a finger Tim tilted Eric's chin up so he was looking into the other man's eyes.

"Look at me, Eric," he commanded softly. Slowly Eric did what he was told.

"You've masturbated, correct?" Speed questioned. Eric nodded in response.

"Good, then just do what you like. Don't worry you'll be able to tell if Speed likes what your doing. Pay attention to his body and how he reacts and you'll be fine," Horatio reassured his new lover.

"Okay," Eric said tentatively.

"Let's move back to the couch," Speed suggested moving them so they were in their original positions. Once Eric was settled between them once more Horatio couldn't resist leaning over and licking one of Eric's nipples.

"H!" Eric shouted at the sensation. His nipples were already kind of hard due to the coolness of the room but Horatio's tongue and teeth were quickly making them harder and adding to his mounting desire.

"MMM, I want a taste," Speed said as he leaned in and licked the other nipple. Eric whimpered as he arched into their touch. Horatio gave Tim a look and Tim moved back leaving Horatio to enjoy Eric's nipples all to himself. While Horatio was tending to his nipples and neck Eric placed a hand on Speed's cock and began stroking it up and down turning slightly as he reached the head then dragging his fingernails across it.

"Fuck! For someone who's never jerked someone off besides yourself you're damn talented," Speed declared through pants as Eric's hands worked feverishly on his throbbing cock.

"Speed," Horatio called to his lover.

"Huh?" Speed replied. Horatio jerked his head towards Eric with a meaningful look at his cock. Nodding his understanding Speed took Eric's hard and throbbing cock into his hands and began to stroke it. The pace that was set was a fast one. None of them would last long but that was alright. "T-t-Tim, oh fuck yes, don't stop," Eric ground out. He could feel the heat building at the base of his spine.

"MMM, do you have any idea how hot you two look jacking each other off?" Horatio asked huskily. It was as if both Eric and Speed realized that Horatio was having to masturbate all on his own they each reached out their free hands and slapped his hand away.

"This is ours to play with, not yours," Speed informed him.

"And what a n-n-nice toy it is," Eric crooned as he drug his finger across the slit.

"Fuck Eric!" Horatio shouted bucking into Eric's hand. A wicked smile spread across Eric's face, but the response he was about to make was cut off by Speed twisting his hand as he reached the head of Eric's cock causing him to moan with pleasure. Horatio could tell he was close to coming and by the looks on his lover's faces they were as well. Catching Speed's eye he silently communicated that they wanted Eric to come first.

"How close are you?" Speed whispered.

"V-v-very close," Eric stammered as he sped up his strokes on both Speed's and Horatio's cock. Both men groaned in unison. "I c-c-can't hold back much longer," he stuttered.

"Come for us," Horatio whispered against Eric's ear. Eric began to shake as the first wave of his orgasm began to crash over him.

"Speed! Horatio!" he shouted as his body jerked and cum covered both his and Speed's stomach. At the sight of Eric coming the other two men fell over the edge, screaming each others and Eric's name.

Once he was able to Move again Horatio slowly climbed off the couch and held out a hand for Eric and Speed to take.

"C'mon, let's go to bed," he coaxed. The other two nodded in agreement.

"Just because we're going to bed doesn't mean we have to sleep just yet, does it?" Speed asked impishly

"No of course not," Horatio replied as he pulled Speed flush against him for a kiss. Quickly mouths and hands were roaming all over heated skin. Eric could feel himself harden again and was only slightly surprised. The two men standing in front of him were two of the hottest if not the hottest men on earth and they were actively searching for each others tonsils. Letting his hand travel down his body he began stroking his newly aroused cock. As good as that felt he wanted something more. He wanted them to make love to him but he wasn't sure if that was moving too fast or not. He let out a part growl/moan that had the other two men pulling apart and staring expectantly at Eric. Satisfied smiles came to their faces when they saw Eric stroking his cock a bit of precum leaking from the tip.

"What do you want?" Speed questioned.

"I want you guys to love me," Eric answered simply. Lust shot through the two New York natives as they processed Eric's request.

"Are you sure?" Horatio asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Eric responded.

"Okay, then," Horatio said tugging on Eric's hand guiding him to their bedroom. The three of them ended up a tangle of limbs on the bed. They were involved in a three-way kiss with everyone fighting for dominance. Speed won and proceeded to do the same thorough search for Eric's tonsils that he'd done for Horatio's just moments before. While Speed was doing that, Horatio let his hands travel across Eric's dark skin cataloging every spot. Ones that made him squirm and ones that made him moan.

"I think I already know the answer, but you've never been with a man, right?" Horatio asked. Eric nodded as he stared at the redhead with lust filled eyes.

"Ly on your side," Speed instructed kissing Eric's cheek. Eric did what he was told and stared at Speed's face.

"This is going to hurt some, but there's nothing we can do about it. Just remember to breathe and relax as much as you can," Speed advised the young man spooned against his chest.

"Okay," Eric replied.

"If at anytime it's too much tell us and we'll stop," Horatio told the Miami native.

"I'll tell you if I need to stop," Eric promised as he gave both men a smile. "Now can we get on with the good stuff?" he asked with a cheeky smile. Both men laughed at Eric's antics but were relieved to see him so happy and relaxed.

"Here, Speed," Horatio said handing him a condom and a bottle of lube.

"Thanks, H," Speed replied leaning in and kissing him deeply before turning back to Eric.

"I'm going to prepare you now; you remember what I said to do?" Speed prompted.

"Breathe and relax," Eric recited.

"Very good, okay here comes the first finger. Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Focus on H's face not the pain," Speed soothed as he slowly slid his finger passed the tight ring of muscle. Horatio who had slid into bed on the other side of Eric locked on to the younger man's eyes. He could see the tension in Eric's face.

"Just breathe, Eric, it'll all be okay," Horatio said softly. Eric whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut trying to relax. A tear slid down Eric's cheek.

"Shh, Eric, look at me," Horatio requested touching Eric's cheek. Slowly Eric's eyes cracked open and he focused on Horatio's face. "That's it; now just listen to my voice. Breathe in; now let it out slowly... Again..." Horatio instructed. He could see that Eric was beginning to relax. Once he was sure Eric was relaxed enough to take a bit more stretching Speed added a generous amount of lube to another finger and teased it around Eric's puckered entrance before sliding it in.

"Just keep breathing, baby," Speed crooned as he eased the second finger into Eric's awaiting body. A whimper escaped Eric's lips as he thrust back on Speed's fingers.

"You like this?" Speed whispered in Eric's ear before blowing in it.

"Y-yes, more please..." Eric ground out.

"Mmm, I think I can do that," Speed replied as he scissored his fingers so Eric could be stretched even more. Curling his fingers he searched for that bundle of nerves. A smile came to his face when he found it.

"Fuck!" Eric shouted jerking off the bed. Speed hit that spot a couple more times delighting in the affect he was having on Eric. Reluctantly he pulled his fingers out and prepared to add a third and final finger.

"Tim..." Eric protested at the loss of Tim's fingers.

"Shh, it's okay," Tim whispered as he inserted all three fingers and stretched Eric as far as he felt Eric could safely tolerate. In order to help him relax Horatio had begun to stroke Eric's cock. Eric was whimpering and moaning as he thrust back and forth. He couldn't decide if he should arch into Horatio's hand or back on to Speed's fingers.

"I think it's time," Horatio called to Speed.

"I think your right. Okay, Eric, I've prepared you as much as I can. This is still going to hurt, though. Just keep focusing on what H is doing and most of all just breathe. The pain will ease up soon enough and the pleasure will take over," Speed promised as he slid the condom on his achingly hard cock and after lubing up began to slide into Eric's hot tight channel. Horatio captured Eric's lips in a passionate kiss as his fingers teased the tip of Eric's cock. Eric could feel the burn as Speed entered him but he had to admit that it was less painful with Horatio's tongue down his throat and his hands on his cock. Once Speed was all the way in he paused to let Eric adjust to him. After a moment Eric thrust back on Speed's cock.

"Move, Speed!" he demanded. Chuckling at Eric's bossiness Speed did what he was told and set a slow rhythm moving almost all the way out then sliding slowly back in. This slow pace was driving Eric to distraction.

"Faster, harder," he begged.

"Okay, if that's what you want, that's what you get," Speed said as he sped up his thrusts. On his next thrust he angled so he'd hit Eric's prostate.

"Oh fuck! Fuck! Eric shouted as his cock got even harder and he whimpered with need.

"You feel so fuckin good. You're so fuckin hot and tight," Speed ground out as he slammed into his lover again hitting that spot. Eric was trembling with desire and need. He needed to come and knew if he didn't do it soon he'd explode. Speed gave him a devilish smile as he pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in just as he bit down on Eric's neck. His teeth marked the skin just as he hit Eric's prostate again. At this point Eric was whimpering and crying out nonsense syllables. He reached his hand forward to take his cock that Horatio had released into his hands. Horatio who was licking and gently biting Eric's nipples slapped his hand away.

"Mine," he growled as he wrapped his hand around the throbbing member. Speed hit that spot again. His thrusts were becoming erratic.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! Speed, please!" Eric shouted.

"Please what, baby?" Speed teased dragging his teeth across Eric's flushed skin.

"Stop teasin' I n-n-need to come!" Eric cried desperately.

"MMM," Speed murmured as he met Horatio's eyes and a smile past between them. Shifting so his face was right above Eric's cock Horatio blew on the head. Eric whimpered as he fisted the sheets in both hands. Leaning in Horatio ran his tongue up and down the underside of Eric's cock.

"H, Speed, please," Eric whimpered. Taking pity on their lover Speed pulled all the way out before slamming back in. He hit Eric's prostate just as Horatio deep throated his cock.

"Come for me, tell me who it's for," Speed demanded.

"It's for you, it's all for you. Oh fuck I'm coming. Oh fuck, I can't hold it back anymore. Fuck!" Eric shouted as his orgasm ripped through him temporarily causing him to black out.

"Fuck... Fuck... Fuck yes, Eric!" Speed shouted as he shot his load into his lover.

"Oh fuck yes!" Horatio shouted as he came without even touching himself. Gently pulling out of his lover Speed got a warm wet cloth to clean them up.

"Someone's back," Horatio called softly as he saw Eric's lashes flutter.

"Hey, welcome back to the land of the living," Speed teased. Eric smiled a half smile as he tried to bring his thoughts back into focus.

"MMM, what happened?" he asked in confusion.

"Sometimes an orgasm is so intense that you black out for a bit because of it," Speed explained.

"Oh, okay," Eric said.

"Don't worry, it's normal," Horatio assured him. Eric nodded he knew Horatio wouldn't say it if it weren't true.

"D-d-did you come without even touching yourself?" he asked Horatio as he tried to regain his senses.

"Yes I did, the two of you were so hot. How could I not come just by watching Speed making love to you and watching your expressive face? All I could see was the love shining in your eyes, it was amazing," Horatio admitted softly. Eric who had shifted so he was lying on his right side ducked his head to try and hide the tears in his eyes. Feeling something wet hit his chest Speed looked down to see tears falling from Eric's eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter? Did I hurt you?" Speed asked anxiously. The thought that he had hurt Eric made him physically sick. Eric shook his head.

"Then what's with the tears?" Speed questioned.

"Nothing," Eric replied. Lifting Eric's chin Speed repeated his question.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm just not used to someone loving me like you both do. The only ones who love me unconditionally are my family," Eric explained.

"Well, the team does, and so do we," Horatio reassured him.

"Okay, I love you," Eric said as he yawned. The other two yawned as well.

"Well I guess it's time for bed now," Horatio commented.

"MMM-hmm," Speed agreed as he wrapped his arms around Eric's front and held him tight. Once he'd made sure everything was locked up, Horatio climbed into bed behind his two lovers' and placed an arm around both of them. Mumbled goodnights were exchanged before the three of them drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Alexx eyed the three men as they walked into the building. Calleigh had called her when she'd gotten home to tell her that the three of them had finally gotten their act together and were trying to start a relationship. She could see the love shining in all of their eyes.

"Morning, Alexx," Horatio greeted as he caught sight of the M.E.

"Morning, sugar, how was your evening?" she asked with a wink.

"It was very good, thank you," he replied easily. She didn't miss the small smile that flashed between Eric and Speed.

"How's the Johnston case going?" Horatio asked slipping into professional mode.

"I just finished the post a few minutes ago. The gunshot was what killed her but I found some bruising that appeared to be para-mortem."

"Maybe she had an abusive boyfriend?" Speed theorized.

"It's possible; Frank said that the cops were called out to her house for a number of domestic disputes. She would refuse to press charges but the neighbors would always call it in," Calleigh interjected as she walked up to the group in the break room.

"Okay, lets do some digging and see if we can find out who this boyfriend is and bring him in," Horatio told his team.

"Franks working on it. I'm running the bullet through IBIS to see if I get a hit," Calleigh informed him.

"Very good, lets get back to processing the evidence I'll call you if we get another case," Horatio said as he turned and headed for his office to work through some of the mountain of paperwork on his desk. Reaching out Calleigh caught Eric's arm before he could walk away.

"So...?" she asked.

"So what?" he replied.

"So are yall together?" she prompted.

"Yeah," Eric responded, blushing at the memories from the night before. Calleigh smiled when she caught sight of the blush staining Eric's cheeks.

"So was I right, did they want you in their bed as they had their wicked way with you until you screamed out their names?" Calleigh whispered conspiratorially.

"Cal..." Eric complained as he avoided her knowing eyes. The fact that he avoided her eyes was answer enough.

"I told you so," she teased as she winked at him.

"You have an insatiable imagination," Eric commented as he turned and walked away Calleigh's laughter ringing in his ears.

"You care to tell me how you got those scratches on your face, Mr. Wilkinson?" Horatio asked the boyfriend of Katie Johnston.

"My cat," the suspect answered annoyed.

"I don't think so," Horatio said.

"Mr. Wilkinson you own a gun correct?" Eric asked as he stood next to Horatio and Frank.

"Yeah, what's that got to do with anything?" he questioned.

"It has a lot to do with everything. Could I see your hands, please?" Horatio requested. The suspect grumbled but held out his hands. Eric sprayed them checking for GSR.

"It's positive, H," he informed the lieutenant. Just then Calleigh knocked on the door and opened it.

"I have that report you asked for, Horatio."

"Thank you, ma'am." Horatio took the report and quickly read it.

"Here's what I think happened, you got in a fight with Katie and instead of just letting you use her as a punching bag like she'd done before she fought back this time, didn't she?" Horatio said.

"The bitch deserved what she got," argued Mitch Wilkinson.

"So she deserved to be beaten then shot and killed?" Eric asked incredulously.

"Yes," Mitch snarled.

"Get him out of here," Horatio instructed the officers. Quickly they escorted a cuffed Mitch Wilkinson out of the room and down the hall to be booked. Speed and Calleigh who were watching from the observation room came into the hall just as Horatio and Eric were walking out of the interrogation room.

"Nice job, everyone," Horatio complimented his team. Everyone accepted the compliment and breathed a sigh of relief. Another killer was behind bars because of the work of their team.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A few months had gone by since the three men had started their relationship. It was now November and the caseload had been ridiculously heavy as of late. On top of that the flu was systematically making its way through the lab taking each member out one-by-one. Calleigh had been hit but was now healthy and back at work. Eric grumbled as the sun shown through the window in their bedroom. He rolled towards the middle of the bed wanting to snuggle with his two lovers a bit longer before he had to get up. He stretched out his arm and smiled as he came in contact with Horatio's warm body. He frowned when he reached across Horatio where Tim should be and found cool sheets. A series of painful coughs caught his attention. Carefully so as not to wake his still sleeping lover he followed the sound of the coughing. He frowned when he reached the living room and saw Speed curled up on the couch with a blanket tucked around him.

"Tim?" he called softly. A groan and a whimper was all he got. Kneeling beside the couch Eric reached out a hand and touched Tim's cheek. He frowned when he felt the heat radiating off his lover. Spotting the thermometer on the coffee table, Eric picked it up.

"Let's take your temperature," he said as he placed the tip of the thermometer against Speed's lips. Speed shook his head.

"Don't wanna," he rasped.

"C'mon, Tim," Eric requested.

"No, I don...," Speed broke off midsentence as Eric placed the thermometer in his mouth.

"Keep it under your tongue and no talking," Eric instructed. Speed glared at his lover.

"It's for your own good," Eric told him. Tim held up his middle finger.

"Not right now, you're sick," Eric said cheekily. Tim's glare just intensified making Eric laugh and Speed scowl. The thermometer beeped, indicating it was done. Eric took it out and read the display. Eric let out a whistle at what the display said. Just then Speed was hit with another series of painful coughs that brought tears to the trace expert's eyes and made him curl in on himself. Quickly Eric climbed on to the couch and gathered the other man in his arms, rubbing his back trying to soothe him.

"What's going on?" Horatio mumbled sleepily as he walked into the room.

"Speed's sick," Eric explained.

"Am not," Speed protested weakly.

"The thermometer says differently," Eric argued holding it up so Horatio could read the display.

"Wow, 102.7? That's pretty high, looks like your staying home today, Tim," Horatio told his lover as he crossed the room and placed a kiss on Tim's forehead.

"No, I'm f-f-fine," Tim argued as he began to cough. Eric who was still sitting beside him wrapped his arms around Tim and rubbed his back trying to ease the pain of the coughs. Horatio took his place next to Tim and tried to soothe him as well.

"You're staying home and that's an order from your lieutenant," Horatio said firmly. Speed nodded reluctantly he knew that Horatio rarely used his rank in the lab and especially out of it and most especially with either him or Eric.

"When's the last time you took medicine?" Eric wondered.

"I took some Tylenol around 2:30 when I woke up coughing and my head was killing me along with the rest of me. I moved out here so I didn't wake you two," Tim explained.

"You didn't have to do that. We're in this together, in sickness and in health, remember?" Horatio reminded him gently.

"I know," Speed answered.

"Well I'll get you some medicine for the coughing and some Tylenol," Eric said as he got up and headed into the bathroom then returned a couple minutes later with a glass of water and some pills. Horatio had taken his place and was soothing Tim through another round of coughing.

"Here, babe, take these," Eric whispered mindful of Speed's headache. Nodding gratefully Speed took the water and pills and swallowed them grimacing as he swallowed.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" Horatio suggested. Tim nodded in agreement and stood up. He wobbled as he tried to make his way to their bedroom. Rushing forward Eric and Horatio each took an arm and helped their lover back to bed amidst his protests that he was perfectly able to walk. Twenty five minutes later both Eric and Horatio were ready for work. Walking over to the bed Eric and Horatio placed kisses on Speed's forehead and made him promise to call them if he needed anything before grabbing their badges, guns, keys, and cell phones and heading for CSI.

"Where's Speed?" Calleigh asked as she saw Horatio and Eric walk into the break room.

"He's at home sick," Eric answered.

"Poor baby, coughing, fever, body aches and a headache?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Horatio answered.

"How high's the fever?" asked the blonde.

"It's 102.7," Horatio told her. Calleigh let out a whistle.

"Wow, mine was never that high, thankfully," she commented.

"Who has a fever of 102.7?" Alexx wondered entering the room.

"Speed," the three CSI's answered in unison.

"Timmy's sick?" Alexx asked.

"Yeah he woke up at 2:30 feeling miserable and moved to the couch so his coughing didn't wake up Horatio or I," Eric explained.

"He's at home resting," Horatio added.

"He's the sick one he should be in bed. I can't believe he slept on the couch," Alexx admonished.

"I know we told him that this morning when we found him," Horatio told her. Remembering that Calleigh had said her fever never got as high as Speed's was, Eric asked,

"How high did your fever get when you had the flu, Cal?"

"I think the highest it got was around 101," she answered. Eric's brow wrinkled in worry. Speed's was almost two degrees higher than Calleigh's had ever been while she was sick.

"Some people get higher fevers when they're sick than others," Alexx assured the group. She could see the worry on Eric's face. It was becoming noticeable on Horatio's as well.

"I hope so," Eric said quietly.

"Me, to," Horatio agreed.

Speed was unhappy that he woke up feeling just as miserable if not more so. Deciding he was kind of hungry he reluctantly drug himself out of bed and to the kitchen. He was glad that Horatio had made some homemade chicken noodle soup a couple of days before because he really didn't feel like making anything and to be honest he wasn't sure if he could. Five minutes later he was seated at the kitchen table with a bowl of soup. He had a hard time eating, though because he was shaking because he was cold. He'd managed to eat about half of the bowl when his stomach revolted. The nausea hit so fast that he barely made it to the bathroom in time. He reached the toilet with just enough time to drop to his knees and be violently sick. The vomiting seemed to go on forever but finally stopped leaving a spent trace expert in its wake.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Painfully slowly he half walked half stumbled to the bedroom and fell on to the bed where he fell into a fitful sleep. He hated being sick and just wanted it all to be over so he could be back at work with his lovers.

"Did he answer when you called to check on him?" Eric asked as he walked into Horatio's office during lunch.

"No, but he's probably sleeping," Horatio answered reassuringly.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Eric agreed.

"Knowing Speed he'll be begging to come back to work tomorrow," Horatio commented. Eric rolled his eyes. Tim was very stubborn. And hard headed.

"Yeah and it'll be like pulling teeth to get him to stay home," Eric added. Glancing at his watch he noticed that lunch was almost over.

"Well I'd better get back to work. I love you, H," Eric told his lover as he placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I love you to, Eric," Horatio replied returning the kiss. Eric flashed him a smile before heading out the door and down the stairs, Speed foremost on both their minds.

A rather intense bout of coughing woke Tim from his fitful sleep. Sitting up he tried breathing through his nose like he'd been taught as a kid, but it wasn't working. He curled in on himself due to the pain but he had to admit that it felt better when either Horatio or Eric were holding him and trying to ease the pain. Panic began to set in when he couldn't draw in a breath. Logically he knew part of the problem was that he was panicking but he couldn't seem to get his lungs to cooperate. Reaching across to the nightstand his fingers scrabbled until he took hold of his cell phone. Pressing the first button his finger came in contact with he held it until it beeped and pressed it to his ear. He just prayed someone would answer and get him help and soon. He could feel the darkness approaching.

Calleigh was analyzing some tool marks from her current case trying to figure out what could have caused them. Sighing she pushed her hair out of her face as she stretched. Just then her phone rang.

"Duquesne," she answered.

"...Cal?" Tim choked out.

"Speed?" Calleigh asked in alarm.

"Can't b-b-breathe, really c-c-cold and sleepy," Speed choked out through harsh drawn out coughs. As if his body knew help would arrive soon because he'd reached Calleigh the darkness closed in completely and Speed blissfully succumbed to it. The sound of the phone falling to the ground and the deafening silence that followed greatly worried Calleigh.

"Tim, I'm calling an ambulance then I'm getting Alexx and the guys. We'll be there as fast as we can, you hear me?" she called into the phone. While she was talking to Tim she grabbed her office phone and called 911. Giving them the pertinent information the dispatcher assured the blonde that EMS was on its way to the guy's house. The instant she was told EMS were on the way she tore out of the lab at warp speed. She was still trying to get Speed to respond but to no avail. Doing a double take as Calleigh came flying around the corner Eric opened his mouth to ask a question.

"What's up, Calleigh?" Reaching out Calleigh grabbed his wrist in her left hand and began pulling him down the hall.

"Come with me," she said in a clipped tone. Eric was totally confused but the look on Calleigh's face made it clear he had better not argue and just do what he was told. Horatio who was walking out of the fingerprint lab had a bemused expression on his face when he saw his ballistics expert dragging his lover down the hall.

"Calleigh, Eric?" he asked with a chuckle. Repeating her actions from a few minutes ago Calleigh grabbed Horatio's wrist in her other hand and began dragging him as well. The lieutenant studied his ballistics expert. She looked anxious and her hair was coming out of the bun she'd put it in that morning. He wondered what was going on. Horatio shared a puzzled look with Eric.

"Any idea what's going on?" he whispered.

"Not a clue, she just came flying out of the ballistics lab like a bat out of hell and told me to come with her," Eric explained. Calleigh had never been so relieved to see Alexx standing by the elevator her medical bag in hand. She must have just gotten back from a case.

"Calleigh, what's going on, sugar?" she asked softly. She could see the panic in the other woman's eyes.

"Hummer now!" Calleigh ordered the M.E. Nodding Alexx fell into step beside her friend and continued heading for the parking lot. Alexx recognized that something must be seriously wrong because it wasn't like Calleigh to order people around. She threw a quizzical look at Horatio and Eric but both of them just shrugged indicating they were just as baffled as she was. Everyone was out of breath when they reached the hummer. Hurrying to the drivers seat Calleigh climbed in and barely waiting for the others to get in, and buckled she took off burning rubber. Turning back to the phone clutched in her hand Calleigh spoke into it.

"C'mon talk to me," she pleaded. Eric who just noticed the phone was curious who she'd be talking to that would cause such a frightening reaction.

"Who you talkin' to, cal?" Eric asked. Calleigh hesitated before answering.

"Speed, he called me in respiratory distress coughing and complaining he couldn't breathe then he blacked out. I don't think he knew he'd called me. I got the impression he hit the first button his fingers found," she answered as she took the next corner sharply. The horror stricken looks she saw on Eric and Horatio's faces broke her heart.

"Did you call for an ambulance?" Alexx questioned doing her best to stay calm. She was worried about Speed but she knew someone needed to stay calm. Calleigh nodded as she focused intently on the road.

"What did he say when he called?" Horatio wanted to know.

"He said he couldn't breathe and that he was really cold and sleepy," Calleigh answered.

"Anything else?" Eric wondered.

"No, he didn't say anything else. He sounded scared and confused, though."

"That's a normal reaction when you can't breathe," Alexx replied. Finally they'd reached the house. After Calleigh parked haphazardly in the driveway everyone climbed out and rushed to where the door was kicked open by the EMTS.

"Speed?" Horatio called as he entered the house.

"Timmy?" Alexx interjected.

"We're in the bedroom," came the voice of one of the EMTS. Quickly the group ran for the bedroom. Eric and Calleigh reached it first. A distressed cry escaped Eric's lips when he saw his lover lying motionless on the bed.

"We need to move now. His o2 sats are 80," the dark haired EMT informed the group.

"On my count," said the other EMT. "One... Two... Three," he counted as they lifted Speed from the bed to their stretcher while placing an oxygen mask over his face.

"I don't like his sats, I'm afraid we'll need to intibate before we get to the hospital," the blonde EMT said grimly.

"What's his fever?" Alexx asked.

Frowning one of the EMTS read off what had been written down and reported it.

"It's 104.3, ma'am." Tears filled Calleigh's eyes at the news. She knew Tim was sick but she had no idea it was this serious. She just prayed he'd be okay.

Taking charge, Calleigh said, "Horatio you and Eric ride with Speed, Alexx and I will follow you."

"Okay," Eric answered automatically as he moved back so they could carry the stretcher with his lover's unconscious body on it out of the bedroom.

"You're going to Dade Memorial, correct?" Alexx confirmed. The EMTS nodded in response.

"Okay, we'll see you at the hospital," Alexx said touching first Eric then Horatio on the arm as they followed the stretcher out the door. Calleigh and Alexx were right behind them and jumped in the hummer, taking off for the hospital immediately.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

The team waited anxiously in the waiting room for news.

"What do you think is wrong with him, Alexx?" Eric asked the M.E.

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say Pneumonia," the M.E answered.

"Does Pneumonia usually progress this fast?" Calleigh wondered.

"It can depending on the severity," she explained.

"Family of Tim Speedle?" greeted the doctor as he walked into the room.

"We're his partners, how is he doctor?" Horatio questioned rising to his feet and shaking the doctor's outstretched hand. The doctor glanced at him and Eric before turning to Calleigh and Alexx.

"Perhaps we can talk somewhere private?" he suggested.

"No, Calleigh and Alexx are family, they have every right to hear how he's doing," Eric defended.

"Very well then, Mr. Speedle is a very sick man."

"Speed," Calleigh corrected.

"Excuse me?" the doctor replied.

"He goes by Speed," Calleigh informed him.

"Oh, I see, well Speed is a very sick man. We've diagnosed him with double Pneumonia. He's on a ventilator to help him breathe and he is currently unconscious. His fever is still 104.3. We're doing our best to try and bring it down but with no success. It doesn't look good to be honest with you," the doctor told them.

"What do you mean it doesn't look good?" Eric questioned.

"I mean the next 48-72 hours are critical. If he survives that his chances for survival go up dramatically," the doctor said grimly. Eric could feel tears gathering in his eyes and one slid down his cheek. Horatio who had tears in his eyes as well took his boyfriend's hand and gave it a squeeze. Calleigh moved to Eric's other side and took his other hand for support. Alexx was on Horatio's other side and she touched his shoulder for support. He gave her a small thankful smile.

"What are the odds he'll make it that long?" Alexx asked.

"Honestly? They aren't very good. Speed has a 10-20 percent chance of making it that long. If he does, however, his chances for survival go up to 80-90 percent," the doctor explained.

"Can we see him?" Horatio asked quietly.

"Yes, but due to the ICU rules and the nature of his illness you must wear a mask at all times when you're in his room," the doctor said. Everyone nodded in understanding they knew it was to protect Tim from getting any germs they might bring into the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Slowly they made there way to Tim's room. Alexx and Calleigh stopped outside the door.

"You two go in first, we'll see him in a little while," Calleigh offered.

"Thanks," Horatio replied as he and Eric put on masks and used some of the alcohol disinfectant to clean their hands before opening the door and walking into the room. The beeping and hissing of the various machines surrounding the bed assaulted their senses the moment they stepped into the room momentarily stopping them in their tracks before they moved farther into the room.

"He looks so small," Eric whispered.

"I know I think it's a requirement for hospital beds to make people look smaller than they really are," Horatio said. Neither of them could help but stare at all the machines surrounding Speed. All of these machines were essentially keeping him alive right now. Walking over to the bed they settled into the two chairs provided and each took one of Speed's hands.

"Hey, Speed, you've gotta get better man, I can't lose you, we can't lose you. I love you," Eric said shakily. Leaning over he placed a kiss on Speed's flushed cheek.

"Eric's right, we can't lose you and we love you. Calleigh and Alexx are in the hall. They want to see you," Horatio told him leaning over and giving him a kiss of his own. Silence fell between them only broken by the sound of the ventilator breathing for Speed. A soft knock on the door made both men jump. It opened to reveal a nurse with a kind smile.

"Hi, my name's Sam and I'm here to check his vitals," she introduced herself as she made her way to the bed and began checking Speed's vitals.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Eric and this is Horatio," Eric said.

"It's time to change those cooling packs," Sam explained as she proceeded to do just that.

"It doesn't seem like they're bringing his fever down, though," Eric commented. Reaching out with her hand the nurse frowned.

"I think your right, let's take it and see what it is," she replied sliding the thermometer in Tim's ear. After a few seconds it beeped. Pulling it out she read the display. The expression on her face as well as her raised eyebrow worried the two men sitting in the chairs.

"Um, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to the doctor, I'll be right back," she said excusing herself.

"That's not a good sign," Eric mumbled. Horatio nodded in agreement.

"No, it's not, Eric, no it's not." A couple minutes later Sam was back with the doctor.

"What's going on doctor?" Horatio asked immediately. Calleigh and Alexx had followed the two of them into the room when they caught sight of their worried expressions.

"It seems your boyfriends fever is doing the opposite of what it should be doing. It's jumped up to 104.5. This concerns me because he's getting dangerously close to where it could cause brain damage or death," the doctor said somberly. A heavy silence fell on the group.

"Are you going to place him in a bath to try and get the fever down?" Alexx wondered.

"At the moment we can't because of the vent, but I am going to have everyone take turns cooling him down with wet cloths. This needs to be done on a constant basis until the fever shows signs of dropping and staying down," the doctor explained.

"One of us will be here with him at all times," Calleigh assured him.

"Very good then, I'll have Sam do the first time so all of you can see how to do it. Be mindful of the tubes but try and reach every part of his body you can get," he told them. The team nodded in understanding as Sam came forward with a basin of water and a wash cloth and began running it over the trace experts overheated skin.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The cool cloths seem to be having a bit of affect on his fever. It's down to 104.3 again," Sam said as she checked Tim's temperature a few hours later.

"That's what it was when they brought him in," Calleigh said. She was sitting by her friend's bedside. Alexx had convinced Horatio and Eric to get something to eat and to make sure they did she went with them to the cafeteria.

"Yeah I know but at least it's gone down some. Any little bit will help at this point. He's very sick and the high fever doesn't help," the young nurse responded.

"Any idea when he'll regain consciousness?" Calleigh questioned.

"It's hard to know, but even when he does the doctor may choose to sedate him to keep him from fighting the vent until he's more aware and lucid," the nurse answered.

"Oh, I see," Calleigh commented. Just then one of the various machines surrounding Tim began beeping.

"What does that mean?" Calleigh asked anxiously.

"It's just the antibiotics more needs to be added. I'll be right back with it," she said exiting the room. She returned a moment later and added more of the antibiotic before pushing a few buttons and the beeping stopped. She looked at the IV drip that was giving Tim nutrients and nodded.

"His IV looks good for now. Your friend seems to be very stubborn I know most people who are as sick as he is don't even make it this long," Sam said encouragingly.

"Speed's definitely very hard headed," Calleigh agreed.

"Well if you've got the sponging under control I'll leave you to it and check on him later," Sam told the other woman.

"I'm fine, see you later," Calleigh said as she continued to run the wet cloth over her unconscious and very sick friend.

"Hey there, Speed, it's me Cal. Everyone's really worried about you. You've got to be okay. I'm not sure what Eric and Horatio will do if they lose you. I'm not sure what any of us will do if we lose you. You're very important to all of us. We love you and life won't be the same without you so you have to get better, you hear me? There aren't any other options," she said sternly.

"I'm sure he's hearing everything you say," Eric said as he walked into the room. Calleigh jumped she hadn't heard him come in.

"You scared me," she exclaimed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to," Eric apologized.

"Where are the others?" she asked noticing that he was by himself.

"H's checking in at the lab and Alexx is finishing lunch."

"You and Horatio ate, didn't you?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah, Alexx made sure of that," Eric replied.

"That's good, you won't do any good to Tim if you're worn out and starving," she added.

"I wonder what's going on at the lab?" Calleigh wondered.

"Yeah, me to. Unfortunately we're probably going to have to go back to work at some point. Stetler won't grant us the time off and you can't handle the entire caseload on your own," Eric said.

"As much as I'd like to so you two can stay here with him at all times I can't," Calleigh agreed regretfully. Eric was about to respond when Alexx and Horatio entered the room.

"I brought you back a sandwich and some coffee, Calleigh," Alexx said handing it to the blonde.

"Thanks Alexx, I didn't realize how hungry I was," Calleigh replied.

"So how's the lab, H?" Eric asked.

"Things are okay for now. Rick wasn't happy about our sudden departure but he'll get over it. Unfortunately he won't grant us the time off. We'll have to stay with him when we can but he says we still have to come into work. If we want time off it comes out of our vacation time," he explained.

"I'm willing to give up all my vacation time to be with him," Eric argued.

"So am I," Calleigh agreed. Alexx nodded as well.

"I know so am I, but what would Tim want us to do?" Horatio asked.

"He'd want us to work and not worry about him," Eric answered reluctantly.

"Exactly," Horatio said.

"We'll stay through the night and hopefully his fever will go down so it'll be easier when we have to leave for work in the morning," Horatio told his lover.

"You two can go home whenever you need to. Alexx I know you have your kids to take care of," he said turning to the two women.

"Peter's got the kids taken care of. I'm staying right here and helping you take care of Timmy," she said firmly.

"I am to," Calleigh added.

"Thank you," Horatio said softly.

"There's no need to thank us we're family and family helps family," Calleigh answered. Just then Speed began thrashing about. Eric and Calleigh who were sitting on either side of him placed a hand on his arm to calm him.

"Take it easy, Speed, your safe it's okay," Horatio soothed as he stood next to Eric. At the sound of his lover's voice Tim seemed to relax and stopped thrashing about.

"What was that?" Eric asked in bewilderment.

"Sometimes high fevers can cause nightmares and other delirious behavior," Alexx explained.

"Do you think he can hear us even though he's unconscious?" Calleigh wondered.

"Some people believe that patients who are unconscious can hear their loved ones voice. I believe they can. It's important that we keep talking to him and letting him know he's not alone," Alexx answered.

"Okay," Horatio said as he yawned. It had been a long day and the end didn't appear to be anywhere in sight.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"How's Speed doing?" Valera asked as Horatio walked into the DNA lab after she'd paged him.

"About the same, his fevers dropped down to 103.5 which while that's not good is at least a step in the right direction," the lieutenant informed her.

"That's good to hear. I'll try and come see him later today if I can," she promised.

"I'm sure he'd like that. You have results for me?" Horatio prompted. Turning to grab the sheet that had just printed Valera nodded.

"The blood found on the knife came from two people. One was our victim, but the other was unknown. They weren't in the system," she explained handing him the print out.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Your welcome," Valera answered. Sighing Horatio walked into the hall hoping they'd catch a break soon so he could take a quick trip to the hospital to check on Speed.

"What'd Valera have to say?" Calleigh asked as she walked up to him.

"The blood on the knife was from two donors. One was our vic, but the other one is unknown," he told her.

"Well it was the stab wound to the heart that killed him, according to Alexx. The other stab wounds were shallow as if the killer was just teasing the victim before killing him," Calleigh hypothesized.

"Hmm, that's interesting. How's the processing of the evidence we collected at the scene going?" he asked.

"Slow I haven't found anything yet. Eric's just gotten back from his scene and is in layout room two working on the evidence from his case," Calleigh informed her boss.

"Okay, keep working on the evidence I'm going to call Frank and see if he's gotten anything from witness statements."

"You got it, handsome," Calleigh said flashing him a bright smile as she headed back to the room she was working in.

Lunch time had snuck up on the inhabitants of the Miami Dade Crime lab. It wasn't until his stomach grumbled; demanding food that Eric looked at his watch and realized it was already 12:00. Pushing back from the table where he was looking at crime scene photos he pulled out his phone and dialed Calleigh.

"Duquesne," came her sweet voice.

"Hey, you wanna get some lunch?"

"Sure, meet in five?" she replied.

"

Sounds good to me, see you then."

"Bye," Calleigh said hanging up.

"Any idea where H is? I haven't seen him in a while," Calleigh wondered as she and Eric walked into the diner just down the street from the lab.

"Last time I saw him he was heading out to go talk to a possible witness with Tripp," Eric replied.

Maybe they stopped by the hospital," Calleigh mused.

"Yeah maybe," Eric agreed. They ordered their lunch and were sitting in a companionable silence when Eric's phone rang.

"Delko," he answered.

"Hey Eric, it's me. Frank and I are at the hospital and it looks like Speed's temp is down to 103 even," Horatio said in a monotone voice.

"That's good that his fever's down to 103 but what's wrong, H?" he questioned.

"They only had him on 80% oxygen on the vent he was still able to breathe somewhat on his own. Now he's on 100% oxygen," Horatio explained his voice cracking. Eric's face crumbled and tears filled his eyes. Reaching out Calleigh placed her smaller hand on top of his.

"What's the matter, Eric?"

"Speed's gone from 80% oxygen with the vent and 20% being able to produce his own to being totally dependant on the vent," Eric explained shakily. Calleigh pointed to the phone and Eric nodded in understanding.

"Cal wants to talk to you," he said into the phone.

"Okay," Horatio responded.

"So what does this mean, Horatio? What caused this?"

"They said that his lungs are just working to hard and they can't handle it. The high fever makes it worse. Hopefully they'll be able to ease back on the amount of oxygen he's getting from the vent sooner rather than later. After a while the ventilator can do more harm than good according to the nurse," Horatio explained.

"I see, are you staying with him?" Calleigh wanted to know.

"As much as I want to I need to get back to work. Eric and I will sit with him tonight, though," the redhead answered.

"I thought so; well Eric and I are eating at the diner. What sandwich do you want me to bring back to the lab for you?" asked the blonde.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry, cal," he answered.

"I didn't ask if you were hungry I asked what sandwich you want me to bring you back to eat?" she repeated firmly. Horatio sighed he knew it was pointless to argue with his ballistics expert when she had her mind set on something.

"A ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, please."

"I'll be happy to get it for you," Calleigh said cheerfully glad she'd won the argument.

"Thank you," Horatio replied.

"Your welcome, well I need to let you go so I can order your food but we'll be back to the lab soon, see you there," she said hanging up the phone and handing it back to Eric. Five minutes later they were on their way back to the lab a bag with a sandwich, chips an apple and a coffee for the lieutenant firmly in Calleigh's hands. Eric had been silent since the phone call from Horatio.

"Tim will be okay, he's to stubborn not to be," Calleigh said softly. Eric chuckled slightly as he nodded.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed holding open the door to the lab for her.

"Thank you," she said sweetly as she walked through it.

"Your welcome, you want me to take that to H?" Eric asked pointing to the food and drink from the diner.

"Sure if you don't mind I want to go talk to Alexx for a minute," Calleigh answered.

"No not at all," Eric said relieving her of her burden and heading for his boss/lovers office.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The hours drug on slowly and painfully. While Tim's fever had gone down to 103 it was staying there.

"I think we're going to try the cooling packs again," said the new nurse named Cindy who walked into the room. Eric and Horatio looked up and nodded.

"Do you think it will help?" Horatio wondered.

"We hope so," Cindy answered.

"We do to," Eric commented. The two of them kept their vigil by their lover's bedside through the night and into the next day. Until they had to go to work then repeated the routine the next night. Finally the next day had arrived and Tim still hadn't regained consciousness and Horatio and Eric were starting to worry that he may never wake up even though they tried to stay positive. The sun streaming through the window woke Horatio from his fitful sleep. Glancing over to his left he saw that Eric was still sleeping. He frowned trying to figure out what had woken him up besides the sun. Listening carefully he heard it again. Someone was moving slightly in the bed. His eyes widened and he shook Eric's arm.

"Eric, wake up," he called urgently. Eric's eyes shot open in confusion as he stared at Horatio.

"'smatter?" he mumbled.

"Speed's awake," Horatio called as he turned and met the frightened brown eyes of his lover. Placing a calming hand on Speed's arm he spoke.

"Relax, Speed, your in the hospital you have Pneumonia," Horatio explained soothingly. Speed moved his hands towards his throat.

"No, leave it there, that's helping you breathe. They had to intibate you," Eric explained. Horatio smiled he noticed that Speed's skin was much cooler to the touch than it had been when he drifted off to sleep.

"I think his temps gone down significantly," he commented to Eric as he pressed the nurse's call button. Sam who was their favorite nurse by far came bustling into the room.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" she questioned.

"Speed's awake," Eric explained. Sam's smile lit up her face as she turned and noticed that her patient was awake and looking kind of confused.

"Good morning, Speed, my name's Sam. I've been one of the nurses taking care of you. I'm going to check your vitals, okay? Just nod if you understand me. Speed nodded his head frowning because he couldn't speak. Stepping forward Sam began taking his vitals.

"I'm happy to report that his temp is down to 100 that's much better than it's been. I'm going to go talk to the doctor about getting him of the vent and putting an oxygen mask on him instead," she said as she smiled at the three men before hurrying out of the room. Speed stared at his lovers with wide eyes. Just then Calleigh walked in for her morning visit.

"Good morning bo---," she broke off when she saw Tim's eyes were open.

"You're awake!" she cried as she rushed forward and gathered him into a tender but fierce hug. Speed gave her a half smile but still looked confused. He made as if he were writing. Nodding in understanding Calleigh rummaged on the table before she found a notepad and a pencil. Smiling she handed them to Speed.

"What happened, how'd I get here? I think I called Cal, but don't remember?" he wrote.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Eric asked.

"Going to bed after I threw up the soup I'd eaten. Then I woke up and couldn't breathe. That's the last thing I can clearly remember. Where's Alexx? I thought I heard her voice?" Horatio read out loud so the others would know what Tim was asking.

"I'm right here, baby," came Alexx's voice as she reached the door. Everyone else jumped they hadn't heard her come up.

"Hey guys thought I'd come buy and see how Timmy was doing before work. I can see he's awake," she said happily as she to gave him a hug.

"You called me saying that you couldn't breathe. I told you that I was calling an ambulance and that the guys and I would be there as soon as we could. You didn't respond, though, because you'd blacked out. We got their and the EMTs were about to take you to the hospital. Alex and I followed in the hummer Eric and Horatio rode with you. The doctors diagnosed you with Double Pneumonia," Calleigh explained.

"Your temp spiked to 104.5 but we worked and worked and finally got it down to 100," Horatio added.

"You scared the hell out of us," Eric interjected. Just then there was a knock on the door and the doctor stuck his head around it.

"I hear that there's a patient in this room who wants that tube out of their throat?" he asked with a smile. Speed nodded emphatically.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you, Speed. My name is Dr. Sanders and I've been taking care of you. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to pull on the tube. Let it slide out it won't be very comfortable I'm going to be honest with you. Once it is out cough a few times for me, okay?" Speed nodded in understanding. Eric and Horatio each took one of Speed's hands and squeezed.

"Okay, take in a deep breath; now blow it out as hard as you can. That's good here it comes," the doctor said as he eased the tube from Tim's mouth. Once it was free Tim began coughing and gagging. Horatio rubbed his back until the coughs subsided. Alexx caught the doctor's eye before jerking her head towards the pitcher of water on the table.

"Sure go ahead," the doctor answered. Nodding Alexx walked over and filled a glass with water before slipping a straw in it and holding it to Speed's lips.

"Drink, baby," she instructed. Speed did what he was told and smiled as the cool liquid soothed his dry and abused throat. The doctor was studying the o2 monitor and had a frown on his face.

"I'm not comfortable leaving you without any supplemental oxygen right now. I'm going to put an oxygen mask on you. If I see that your O2 sats improve I'll consider switching to a nasal canula but at the moment it's got to be the mask," the doctor explained. As he was speaking Sam was assembling the tubing to the oxygen mask and adjusting the straps. Gently Eric lifted Speed's head so the nurse could ease the mask over his face.

"C-can I still talk?" Speed rasped out.

"Yes, but I wouldn't advise it for a little while. Your throat will be sore and raw for a while yet," the doctor cautioned.

"When do you think you'll move him from the ICU?" Eric asked.

"If he shows signs of improving maybe sometime tomorrow. I want at least one day of the nurse's watching him," the doctor told the group. Glancing at his watch he said, "I have to check on other patients but I'll be back to check on you later, Speed."

"Bye," Speed called. Looking at his watch Horatio frowned.

Noticing the frown, Speed asked, What's wrong?"

"We have to go to work as well," he answered dejectedly.

"I'll be fine," he rasped out.

"You sure, sugar?" Alexx asked in concern. Speed nodded it hurt too much to talk. Eric and Horatio leaned over and placed kisses on Speed's forehead.

"We love you and we'll get back as soon as shift is over tonight if a case doesn't keep us," Eric promised softly.

"I know, now go before your late," Speed whispered through the mask. The others laughed at the interplay. They were just grateful that Speed was back with them and appeared to be doing okay so far.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

A week had gone by since Speed had woken up and he was finally being released. The day after he woke up his fever had spiked to almost 103 again but it came down fairly quickly and the next day he was moved from ICU. Horatio smiled at his lover as he walked into the room and saw Speed sitting anxiously in the chair by the window his duffle bag sitting on the bed having just been packed.

"You ready to go?" Horatio asked.

"Yes I am," Speed answered emphatically.

"Have you signed your discharge papers?" he asked his lover.

"Yeah, I just have to get my scripts from the nurse so I can fill it," Tim replied. As if she heard their conversation Sam walked into the room the scripts in hand.

"Here are your prescriptions for your antibiotics. Take each antibiotic three times a day for another week," Sam instructed.

"Will do," Speed said.

"Very good then, your free to go," she said with a smile. A smile came to Speed's lips as he stood up slowly and stood still until he'd gotten his balance then he slowly made his way to the hospital room door. He was just glad to be getting out of this place and back to his house and his lovers.

"Remember you're off work for the next week to let your body continue to heel," Sam called after the two men. Speed grumbled in frustration but Horatio nodded his acknowledgement.

"Don't worry we'll make sure he stays home for the next week," he promised causing Tim to glower at him.

"Hey, it's for your own good," Horatio said turning to his lover. Tim just glared he knew Horatio was right but it didn't mean he had to like it.

TBC?

A/n, short I know but it's just a filler chapter, please R/R!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

"It's good to have you back," Tyler said as Tim walked into the A/V lab to check on some results from a recorded phone conversation.

"Thanks it's good to be back. I was going crazy sitting at home. So what can you tell me?" he prompted.

"I was able to separate the different sounds and I isolated that strange sound in the background we couldn't identify," the other man answered.

"Well lets here it, then," Speed said. Nodding Tyler played what he had separated. Speed listened carefully frowning in concentration.

"Play it again, please."

"Sure thing," Tyler replied playing it again. The trace experts frowned deepened. He couldn't seem to identify the sound they were hearing. It was something he'd heard before but he couldn't for the life of him place it now. Spotting Calleigh who was working this case with him in the hallway he called to her.

"Hey come here a sec, will ya Cal?"

"Sure what's up?" she asked.

"Listen to this and see if you can figure out what the sound is. It's from the phone conversation our vic had with the 911 dispatcher just before she died. I'm hoping it'll give us an idea of where the primary scene is since we know she was dumped on Biscayne BLVD," Speed explained.

"I'll give it a shot," the blonde responded. After a nod from the two CSI's Tyler played the recording again.

"Again, please, I think I've almost got it," Calleigh said. She listened intently trying to block out the other ambient sounds. Calleigh's eyes widened when she recognized the sound.

"You got something?" Speed asked.

"It's a walk-in freezer when it's on it makes a humming sound," she explained.

"Laura worked at TGI Friday's, maybe one of her co-workers got mad at her and drug her into the freezer and killed her then panicked and dumped her body somewhere else?" Speed theorized.

"Hmm, maybe let's talk to Frank and go through the list of employees and figure out if any of them held a grudge against our victim," Calleigh suggested.

"Let's go, thanks, Tyler," Speed called over his shoulder as the two criminalists headed out of his domain.

"No problem," the A/V tech called back glad he could help provide a possible turning point for the case.

TBC?

?A/n R/R!, please.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Okay, there are four people from the restaurant who appeared to have a problem with our victim," Frank reported as he saw the two CSI's walking towards his desk after he'd called them.

"Who are they?" Calleigh asked.

"Nathan Ross, Sarah Baker, Mikayla Dobson, and Shelly Michaels. Nathan used to be Mikayla's boyfriend but cheated on her with Laura but they broke up when he saw Laura talking to a guy friend of hers. As for the girls they all took offense to Laura stabbing Mikayla in the back by dating her boyfriend. They'd all been friends until it was revealed that Laura was cheating with Nathan. All of them have an alibi accept for Mikayla," Frank said.

"Then let's go talk to Miss Dobson, shall we?" Speed said with a smirk.

"My thoughts exactly," Calleigh drawled.

"We'll take my car," Frank offered picking up his keys and heading for his car.

"MDPD!" Frank called as he knocked on the door to Mikayla's house. The door opened revealing a clearly surprised Mikayla Dobson.

"Can I help you?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah you can tell us where you were two nights ago," Calleigh replied.

"I was here," she answered.

"Can anybody verify that?" Speed interjected. Mikayla shook her head. Calleigh's eyes narrowed as Mikayla brushed some hair out of her face revealing some scratches on her wrists. Nudging Speed in the side she jerked her eyes to the young woman's arms. Their victim had defensive wounds on her hands.

"How'd you get those scratches?" Calleigh questioned.

"My cat got mad at me because I picked it up off the table," she said. Frank studied the marks intently.

"Those look like fingernails not cat claws. You wanna try a different answer?" he bated. Mikayla glared at the detective and stared down at her hands.

"Let me see if I can guess what happened. You found out that Nathan was cheating on you with Laura so you confronted her when she went into the freezer to make sure things were secure for the night and you bludgeoned her to death but she fought back didn't she?" Speed asked.

"You can't prove I was in that freezer with her," Mikayla spat indignantly.

"Oh but that's where your wrong. We found a bloody fingerprint on the door of the freezer and I bet we'll match it to yours. Plus I'm sure we'll match your DNA to the DNA we found on the bat and on the inside of the freezer," Calleigh said iceily.

"Then for some reason you panicked and somehow got her into your car and dumped her on Biscayne. Before you did that, though, you checked to see if anyone was outside. What you didn't realize while you were checking for witnesses, though, was that Laura was still alive, barely, but she was able to call 911 just before she stopped breathing and try and beg the dispatcher to send someone to help her. The sound of the freezer was picked out of the conversation which eventually led us back to you," Frank concluded. Mikayla refused to say another word and glared at the three detectives as she was lead to Frank's car in cuffs.

When they reached the lab the suspect was escorted to an interrogation room with Tripp, Calleigh, and Speed following. Once they were in the room Calleigh and Frank sitting on one side of the table and the suspect on the other with Speed leaning against the wall Calleigh spoke.

"I need you to open your mouth, please."

"Why?" Mikayla demanded sullenly.

"I'm sorry?" Calleigh asked.

"I said why do you need me to open my mou---," the young woman broke off as Calleigh swabbed the inside of her cheek.

"That's why, now we need your prints, hold out your hands, please," Calleigh requested. Reluctantly the girl did what she was told and Calleigh obtained her prints.

"Speed?" she called.

"I'll get these to Delko and Valera," he said taking the swab and the finger print card and heading down the hall. He reached Valera's lab first.

"Hi, Val, can you run this DNA against the sample we got from the freezer, please? I wanna know if it matches the suspect we have in interrogation," Speed explained.

"Sure thing, it's good to have you back, the lab's been to quiet without you," she commented.

"T-t-thanks," Speed said through a series of coughs that left him slightly breathless. The lab tech shot him a concerned look. "I'm okay, the doc said the cough will be the hardest part of this to shake," Speed said. Valera nodded in understanding. Speed stared at the computer waiting for it to spit out a result, hopefully a match. The a watched pot never boils saying his mother had constantly told him when he was little and waiting for something to happen was true in this case. Finally the computer beeped, indicating a match. Grabbing the paper from the printer Valera scanned it quickly.

"It's our girl, DNA is a match," she said with a broad smile.

"Thanks, Val," Tim replied as he grabbed the paper and hurried from the room. Reaching the print lab he knocked on the door frame to get Eric's attention.

"Hey, babe, what can I do for you?" Eric asked.

"Run these prints and compare it to the print we pulled from the freezer, please."

"You got a suspect?"

"Yeah, she's cooling her heels with Cal and Tripp in interrogation room three," Speed answered.

"Okay, lets see what AFIS can tell us," Eric said scanning the print into the system then sitting back to wait for a result. Speed pushed off the doorway and walked over to his lover and leaned against Eric's chair. Eric smiled as he reached out a hand and pulled Speed down to him for a quick kiss before releasing him. The three of them didn't usually engage in public displays of affection in the middle of the lab but Eric couldn't help himself. They'd come to close to losing the sarcastic New Yorker. There attention was drawn to the computer as it beeped. Smiles came to both of their faces when they read the screen, match.

"Thanks, I've gotta nail someone's ass to the wall, see you in the parking lot?" Speed asked moving towards the door.

"Yeah, and H called he said court was running long so he'd meet us at home. I told him we'd cook dinner," Eric informed the other man.

"Sure," Speed answered as he turned and headed down the hall glad to have solved another case.

"Both were a match," Tim said as he walked back into the interrogation room papers in hand.

"So you want to tell us what happened now?" Frank asked.

"She'd been talking about how good Nathan was to her. What a good couple they made and my friends overheard her and told me. I'd overheard her telling one of her friends Diane that she was going to meet up with Nate later that night and try and convince him to get back together with her and leave me," the young woman explained.

"So that's when you decided she needed to be stopped?" Calleigh wondered.

"Yeah, the bitch needed to be stopped. All she was was a homewrecker. She got what she wanted no matter who it hurt just as long as it helped her. So I went to the freezer cause I'd seen her go in there to make sure things were like they were supposed to be we were closing that night and I had the bat we kept behind the counter if need be in my hand. I swear I wasn't going to hit her but she provoked me by saying she was better for Nathan and I was just something he was settling for and I snapped." She stopped talking at that point.

"What made you remove her body from the freezer?" Speed questioned.

"I hadn't meant to killer her but I knew she couldn't be left in the freezer so after making sure the coast was clear I came back and got her. That was when I realized she was dead. I dumped her on Biscayne then left and went straight home," she finished matter-of-factly.

"Get her out of here," Frank demanded. The officer who was standing at the door walked over and hauled Mikayla to her feet and pulled her from the room so she could be booked and placed in jail.

"The lengths some people go to to get even," Speed mused.

"Hath no fury like a woman scorned," Calleigh murmured.

"MMM hmm," Frank replied in agreement.

"Well I'm off for the night see yall tomorrow," Calleigh said as she turned to retrieve her belongings from the ballistics lab. The two men exchanged goodbyes with her and each other before heading in separate directions.

TBC? R/R, please.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Eric, Speed?" came Horatio's voice as he stepped into their house.

"We're in the kitchen," Speed called back. Smiling Horatio made his way to the kitchen ready to spend some quality time with his lovers. It had been a long day. He hated going to court but at least his testimony had helped the jury convict the killer.

"Hey, how was your day, H?" Eric questioned.

"Long, but the jury found him guilty so it was worth it," the redhead answered.

"That's good to hear," Eric replied.

"Yeah, how were both of your days?" Horatio asked.

"I caught up on all the fingerprint backlog," Eric said.

"Cal and I managed to solve the case of Laura Nelson the vic that was dumped on Biscayne," Speed told him.

"Who killed her?" Horatio wanted to know.

"It was one of her co-workers apparently Laura had cheated with this girl's boyfriend. She'd confronted her in the walkin-freezer and killed her then did the body dump," Speed explained.

"Hath no fury like a woman scorned," Horatio commented.

"That's what Calleigh said," Speed interjected.

"MMM, it smells good in here what are we having?" Horatio wondered.

"Tacos," Eric answered. Horatio smiled as he crossed the kitchen and pulled his two lovers into his arms and kissed them both. The kiss was heating up when the timer sounded letting the three in the kitchen know that dinner was ready. Reluctantly they pulled apart and went about setting the table and putting out the food before diving into the meal.

TBC?

A/n please R&R it means so much to me.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Calleigh was enjoying a nice walk on the beach. She liked to go to the beach to clear her head and relax. She was humming along to the current song playing on her iPod. She was listening to Trace Adkins Greatest Hits CD and was currently singing and swaying her hips along to "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." She was so involved in the song that she didn't hear the footsteps come up behind her. She was enjoying the song and the feeling of the sunshine on her face as it began to set. A scream pierced the quiet night as someone grabbed her roughly from behind. Her cop instincts kicked in and she began to fight against her attacker.

"Stop fighting, Bitch," the man snarled in her ear. Calleigh could smell the alcohol on his breath. It was rolling off him in waves. Her stomach turned at the smell. It reminded her of the numerous times her father had gotten just a bit to rough her when she was a child and he had been drinking. Reaching out she scratched her attacker on the face drawing blood. This only managed to infuriate him even more and he slapped her savagely across the face with one hand as he yanked her hair with the other actually managing to pull out a few hairs. A few tears squeezed out of Calleigh's tightly closed eyes. The pain was so intense she couldn't help but whimper when he pulled her hair. Calleigh continued to fight but the attacker proved to be much stronger. Calleigh did her best to shut her mind off and remove herself from the experience as he violated her in the worst way possible. She opened her eyes determined to catalog every little thing about him so she could give the most accurate description to the guys. Finally he finished and stood up. Her skirt was bunched up around her hips and her shirt had been torn open. She remained still until she was sure he was gone before getting up and running painfully towards her house and her car. With shaking hands Calleigh started her car and drove to the people she needed most right now. She knew the guys would keep her safe and get her the necessary medical attention. She kept thinking about what her rapist looked like, sounded like, acted like, and smelled like all the way to her three friend's house. He wouldn't get away with this if she had anything to do with it.

TBC?

A/n I have a lot more of this written, do people want me to continue it? If so, please read and review.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Dinner had been eaten and the dishes done. Now the three men were watching whatever comedy show they'd landed on.

"TV shows are really going down hill," Speed complained.

"Yeah, I agree," Eric added. Horatio laughed at his lovers but couldn't help nodding in agreement. They continued to watch the show in companionable silence. The ringing of the doorbell took them all by surprise.

"I'll get it," Horatio said getting up from his spot on the couch and walking to the door.

"I wonder who it is?" Eric asked Speed as they continued to watch the show.

"I don't know," Speed replied just as curious. Calleigh stood shakily on the porch waiting on someone to open the door. She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when the door suddenly opened.

"Calleigh, sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly. The kindness of her boss's voice was the final straw and Calleigh began to cry. Her arms that had been crossed over her chest fell to her sides, revealing her torn shirt.

"Oh Horatio," she choked out. Gently Horatio reached out a hand but Calleigh stepped back.

"Cal?" he asked in concern.

"Don't touch me without gloves I'm evidence right now," she explained sadly. Horatio's heart dropped and anger simmered in his veins at what he thought she was implying. Using all of his will power he smoothed his face into a soft expression rather than the angry set of his jaw that had been visible just moments before. Calleigh visibly relaxed when she saw his face soften. This didn't go unnoticed by the redhead, confirming his suspicions.

"Come in, Cal," he said soothingly as he held the door open for her. Slowly she walked into the living room. Eric and Speed jumped up when they saw her but took a step back at the frightened look in her eyes.

"Take the couch, Cal," Eric invited.

"Thanks," she responded quietly.

"What happened, Calleigh?" Speed questioned gently.

"Can you call Alexx and have her come over, please? I only want to tell this once," she requested. Nodding Horatio picked up his cell phone and called Alexx.

"Hello?" Alexx answered.

"Alexx, it's Horatio, I need you to come to the house, please."

"Of course but why what's the matter, Horatio?"

"Calleigh's here and she's in pretty rough shape. She only wants to tell what happened once but she asked me to call you," he explained.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," the M.E promised.

"Thank you," Horatio said hanging up.

"She's on her way," Horatio told the group. The room descended into silence. Calleigh had started to shake and couldn't seem to stop. Eric reached out to touch her hand for comfort but she pulled her hand back. Eric did his best to try and hide his hurt but he didn't completely.

"It's not you, I'm evidence right now. I need to be processed so one of you needs your kit," Calleigh answered. Speed stood up and headed for the door.

"I'll get my kit out of the car," he said. Taking a moment to compose himself Tim opened the trunk of Eric's car and retrieved his kit. He caught the reflection of headlights as Alexx turned into the driveway. Quickly closing the trunk he turned to greet the mom of the team.

"Hey there, Timmy," she greeted.

"Hey, Alexx, she's inside," he said as he led the way to the door and into the house.

"Hi sugar, Horatio says you asked me to come over?" she asked kindly as she settled next to Calleigh on the couch.

"Yeah I did. I need to give a statement but only wanted to give it once. Horatio groaned he knew he'd forgotten to call Frank. It was as if Alexx could read his mind because she spoke up.

"Don't worry, H I called him and told him we would probably need him here to take an official statement and I saw him turning into the neighborhood just behind me," Alexx said just as the doorbell rang. Calleigh jumped at the sound even though she tried not to. Speed opened the door and ushered the detective inside closing and locking the door behind him. Calleigh gave him a small smile she knew he'd done that for her benefit and she couldn't be more thankful.

TBC?

A/n, the guys would love to kill the guy I'm sure. Please read and review.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Once everyone was seated Calleigh took a deep breath and began her story.

"I was walking on the beach just listening to my iPod and enjoying the sunset. I was so absorbed in the music that I didn't register the steps behind me until it was too late," she began stopping to take in a calming breath.

"You go at your own pace we can take this as slowly as you need," the Texan told her gently. Calleigh gave him a small thankful smile. Frank was furiously jotting down notes as well as recording the conversation with Calleigh's permission.

"Then what happened?" Alexx asked.

"I fought back and scratched his face. I drew blood. He got really mad at me and slapped me viciously across the face then yanked my hair so hard he actually pulled some of it out. Then he held me down and raped me. He bunched my skirt up by my hips and tore my shirt. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He was very drunk but still knew what he was doing," the ballistics expert concluded.

"Can you give us a description?" Frank questioned.

"Yes I can a very detailed one in fact. He has dirty blonde hair that's tangled and messy. His eyes are blue. His nose is slightly crooked as if it had been broken and not quite heeled properly and his lips were too big for his face." A short bitter laugh escaped the ballistics expert's mouth. She didn't know why that detail was funny to her, but for some reason it was. The others gave her small smiles in return helping her to continue her story.

"He's about 6'3"and appeared to have at least some muscle. He was wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a black T-shirt. The shirt had a picture of a skull and crossbones on it. He was wearing black sneakers. I think they were Converse. He smelled like alcohol and as if he was in need of a bath," she explained. His voice was rough and demanding," she finished her explanation.

"What about his build?" Eric wondered.

"He probably weighed around 190 pounds and had very large hands. He had calluses on his hands suggesting that he works with them on a regular basis."

"How old do you think he was, sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly.

"He looked about twenty-four or so I think," Calleigh answered.

"I'll get this description to a sketch artist and have them draw a sketch. Will you look at it to make sure it's right when they're done?" Frank requested. Calleigh nodded silently. Her shaking had gotten worse as she continued to talk. Alexx recognized the beginning signs of shock. Alexx glanced around trying to figure out where she could take Calleigh to process her and which one of the guys she would take for pictures and the collection of evidence. Noticing her looking around the room Horatio provided an answer to one of her questions.

"You can use our bedroom and the master bathroom."

"Thanks, Horatio," Alexx replied. The lieutenant addressed his next question to Calleigh.

"Who do you want to have Alexx help process?"

"None of us will be offended on who you choose," Eric spoke up.

"They're right, all that matters right now is you," Speed added softly.

"I want Eric," she answered. Nodding Eric pushed off from where he was leaning against the wall and moved slowly towards his best friend.

"Do you still have a change of clothes in your car for away cases?" Tim asked.

"Yeah," Calleigh said.

"I'll get them for you," he offered.

"Thanks," Calleigh said as she gave him a small smile. My cars unlocked I didn't think to lock it I just wanted to get here," she explained in embarrassment.

"That's understandable," Alexx said as she stood up. Following her lead Calleigh did the same and the two of them and Eric made their way slowly down the hall and into the master bedroom leaving Horatio and Frank sitting in silence in the living room.

"Don't worry we'll catch this SOB, Horatio," Frank swore.

"Yes we will, Frank," Horatio replied. "Yes we will."

TBC?

A/n please read and review.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"I'm going to take pictures first then you can go into the bathroom with Alexx so she can perform the rape kit. Then I'll need to get pictures of you with out your clothes on to go along with the others," Eric said.

"Okay," Calleigh replied woodenly. Nodding Eric picked up the camera and began taking photos of Calleigh's torn clothing and other noticeable injuries and bruises. Five minutes later he'd taken all the pictures he could take at the current time. Reaching into Tim's kit he pulled out a bag and handed it to Calleigh.

"Put your clothes in this," he reminded her. Calleigh nodded she knew what she had to do but she appreciated that Eric felt the need to remind her. She knew it was his way of trying to help.

"Come with me, baby," Alexx called as she walked into the bathroom with the necessary swabs and bindles for collecting the rape kit.

Tim knocked gently on the closed bedroom door.

"Come in," Eric called out. Tim walked into the room Calleigh's duffle bag slung over his left shoulder just as the bathroom door closed behind the two women. Walking over he knocked on it.

"I'm sitting your bag of clothes just outside the door then I'll go back into the living room to wait with Frank and H," he called through the door.

"Thanks, Speed," Calleigh called back.

"No problem," Speed responded as he placed the bag on the floor and turned to head back to the living room but nearly ran into Eric who was standing right behind him instead. Stopping in his tracks Speed looked up and into Eric's expressive eyes. He could see the anger, sorrow, and hurt battling for dominance in the other mans eyes. Wordlessly Speed pulled him into a hug.

"We'll get him and Calleigh will be okay eventually," Speed promised.

"I know but it makes me sick to think about what he did to her, to our Bullet Girl. She's a trained CSI and he got the best of her. I'm just thankful he didn't hurt her any worse or even kill her," Eric said softly.

"Yeah, but Calleigh gave as good as she got," Speed added. Eric nodded he knew Speed was right. "I'll see you in the living room," Speed said placing a kiss on Eric's mouth before heading out the door and back into the living room to wait with the others.

TBC?

A/n, read and review.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Everyone was gathered in the living room once again.

"I'll take the evidence to the lab and process it personally," Eric said as he grabbed his keys.

"It can wait until morning," Calleigh protested weakly.

"You know a defense lawyer would be all over us holding it for process until morning especially at the house where three crime lab employees live," Horatio reminded her.

"I know but you need your sleep, Eric," she argued looking at her friend.

"Sleep can wait your more important, Cal. I doubt any of us will sleep well until this perp is caught," Eric responded. Calleigh sighed but gave the assembled group a smile. She knew they cared more about her than they did themselves and while she loved that about them she worried about them all the same.

"Thank you," she said graceously. Momentarily placing the kit on the floor and pocketing his keys Eric moved over to where Calleigh was standing. Opening his arms Eric gave Calleigh an encouraging smile. Taking it for what it was meant as she stepped into his awaiting arms and allowed herself to be enveloped in a hug. The feeling of her best friend's arms around her gave Calleigh the ability to let go and cry for the injustice that had been done to her. Noticing that Calleigh's walls were crumbling Eric pulled her closer and began rocking back and forth trying to comfort her. The others moved in and made it a group hug. After a few minutes of crying Calleigh pulled back and looked up in embarrassment at Eric.

"Thanks, sorry for getting your shirt all snotty and teary," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Eric replied. "It's just a shirt it'll wash."

"Do you want to stay in our guest room tonight?" Horatio asked.

"I don't want to impose," Calleigh argued her southern nature shining through.

"You won't be imposing," Horatio assured her.

"Then yes I'd love to stay here tonight," Calleigh answered.

"It's settled, then, make yourself at home," Horatio told her. Calleigh nodded as she made her way slowly down the hall after bidding everyone a good night.

"I'll go to the lab and run this right now. I'll call you when I have something," Eric informed the group.

"Okay, are you sure you can process this objectively?" Horatio questioned. He didn't want the closeness Eric and Calleigh shared to affect his judgment.

"I'm sure, H," Eric responded. Nodding Horatio and Speed gave their younger lover a kiss before letting him go.

TBC?

A/n, read and review.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The house was quiet for the night. All the occupants' were sleeping. Eric had arrived home a few minutes before with the news that they had a match and that Frank would pick him up in the morning so he could ask Calleigh if she wanted to be in the observation room while the man was interrogated. A frightened scream startled the people in the house awake and the three of them ran for the guestroom where the sound had originated from. Calleigh was sitting up staring wide-eyed around the room. Her breathing was ragged and tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Cal?" Speed called.

"Sorry I woke you," she apologized.

"It's alright, do you need anything?" Horatio asked.

"A glass of water, maybe?"

"Of course I'll get it for you," Horatio replied. Tim and Eric stood awkwardly in the doorway not sure if Calleigh would object to them moving farther into the room. Noticing them for the first time she gestured for them to come into the room. Following her request they walked into the room and after getting a nod from the blonde they settled one on each side of her and put an arm around her. Sniffling Calleigh gave them a small smile. Reaching over to the table next to the bed Speed pulled a couple of tissues from the box and handed them to her.

"Here you go," he said.

"Thanks, Speed," she said.

"Your welcome," he said. Just then Horatio appeared with the cool glass of water. Taking it Calleigh drank it quickly.

"Thank you, Handsome."

"Your welcome, Beautiful. Do you think you can sleep now?" he asked soothingly.

"Yeah, but answer me one question first?" she requested.

"What?" Eric asked.

"Did you figure out who it was?"

"Yeah, Frank's going to pick him up in the morning. He wanted me to ask you if you want to be in the observation room when we interrogate him?" the Cuban-Russian CSI responded.

"I'm glad you know who did it and of course I want to be in the observation room," Calleigh answered as her eyes began to close.

"It's settled then you will be now get some sleep," Horatio commanded softly as he backed out the door turning off the light as he went. He saw Calleigh flinch when the light was turned off so he reached over and turned on the hall light. "So you can see to get to the bathroom," he explained not letting on to the fact that he'd seen her reaction to being in the dark.

"Thanks," she answered. The look on her face clearly saying she meant for leaving the other light on and not making a fuss about it.

"MMM hmm, night, Cal," he said as he beckoned the others into the hall.

"Night, yall," Calleigh replied before drifting off to sleep.

The interrogation the next morning was a success. The guy admitted to raping Calleigh after a bit of coercion from Frank and Horatio. Speed and Eric who were in the observation room with Calleigh smiled at her. Happily she returned the smile.

"I'm sure glad he's going to be punished for what he did," Calleigh mused.

"Yeah I agree," Speed said.

"Me, to," Eric added glad that Calleigh could recover with the knowledge that her rapist had been caught and would be punished.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"I can't believe they've been together for a year," Alexx commented as she and Calleigh sat in her office talking.

"Me either, but their anniversary is Saturday, is the plan set in motion yet?" Calleigh wondered.

"Yes, the reservation is made for the rooftop restaurant at the Agramont and while they're gone we can set up the stuff at the house. Now all we've got to do is get them to the Agramont on Saturday," the African American woman pondered.

"I have an idea on how to do that," Calleigh supplied.

"What is it?" Alexx asked.

"Why don't we tell them we want to have a team dinner there on Saturday? Then when they get their the waiter can tell them that their dinner and such is already paid for and to enjoy themselves.

"That just might work. We can hang out close to the hotel so we can see when they arrive then we'll go to the house and set the other stuff up," Alexx concluded.

"Sounds like a plan. I should get back to work before someone comes looking for me," Calleigh said standing up.

"Okay, talk to you later, Calleigh," Alexx said.

"Bye, Alexx," Calleigh called back.

It was finally Saturday and the guys were getting ready for the dinner with Calleigh and Alexx.

"Any idea what sparked the girls tohave a team diner?" Eric questioned from where he was shaving in the bathroom.

"Beats me," Speed responded.

"It's Calleigh and Alexx, I rarely know why they do anything," Horatio interjected.

"I can't believe they forgot it was our anniversary," Eric complained. "I mean I don't mind hanging out with them and having dinner with them, but I was looking forward to having the two of you all to myself tonight," he said with a pout.

"Well once we get home you'll get your wish," Horatio whispered as he leaned in and licked the shell of Eric's ear causing the man to jump and moan in pleasure. Thankfully he'd just finished shaving before his lover had walked up behind him.

"MMM, I like this plan," Speed murmured as he moved in behind Horatio and exchanged a hungry kiss with the redhead before leaning over his shoulder and giving Eric the same hungry kiss.

"Can't we call the girls and cancel?" Horatio whined as he felt Speed's lithe body pressed against his back and Eric's back pressed against his front.

"No, we can't," Speed answered reluctantly. Horatio groaned but he knew Speed was right. Reluctantly the three of them moved apart and finished getting ready sending little glances back and forth all the while.

TBC?

R/R please


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"They're here," Calleigh called as she spotted the three men. She and Alexx were sitting in the parking lot across the street from the hotel.

"Wow they sure clean up nice," Alexx said fanning herself.

"Hey, hands off your happily married and they're taken," Calleigh said with a giggle even though she to was fanning herself. Horatio was in a gray pinstripe suit with a blue shirt that accented his eyes. Both Eric and Speed were dressed in all black.

"Just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't admire three very good looking men," Alexx argued. Calleigh laughed at her friend.

"Your right," she agreed. Both women smiled as they watched the three CSI's walk into the hotel and head for the restaurant smiling at each other all the way.

"It's time to head for the house," Calleigh said after she saw them reach the rooftop restaurant and be greeted by the hostess.

"Let's go," Alexx said pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards the highway so they could get to the boys house and begin setting up the rest of their surprise.

"Good evening Gentlemen, just the three of you this evening?" questioned the hostess.

"Actually, no, we're supposed to be meeting two women as well," Horatio answered.

"Is your name Horatio?" questioned the hostess.

"Yes," Horatio answered perplexed.

"This is for you," she said handing him an envelope with Calleigh's familiar handwriting on it.

"What is it, H?" Eric wondered.

"It's something from Calleigh for all of us," he said as he opened it and pulled out a sheet of paper, and, began reading.

"Horatio, Eric, and Speed we hope you have a fantastic anniversary dinner. Everything is on Alexx and I oh and Yelina and Valera helped out to. Enjoy, oh, and dinner is just the beginning, love Calleigh."

"What does she mean that dinners just the beginning?" Speed asked.

"Who knows," Horatio answered.

"Yeah, I've learned something when it comes to Calleigh, she has a vivid imagination," Eric commented.

"Yeah, and if she and Alexx are working together I'm a bit afraid of what we'll find when we get home," Horatio interjected.

"Well I guess we'll just have to see after we eat dinner," Speed said. The others nodded in agreement before they followed the hostess to their table and were seated looking at the menu trying to decide what they each wanted to order.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Dinner had been enjoyed and now they were heading to the hummer to head home and enjoy some other activities.

"I wonder what Calleigh and Alexx meant by the dinner was just the beginning?" Horatio wondered.

"I don't know but do you and Speed have any idea just how vivid Calleigh's imagination is?" Eric questioned.

"I know she's creative and very smart but I've not been exposed to her vivid imagination," Speed said from his place in the backseat.

"Lets just say our Bullet Girl has a very dirty mind," Eric said blushing.

"You can't just give us a tidbit of information and then not explain. It's like a cat teasing a mouse," Horatio complained.

"Do I really have to explain how I know this?" whined the Miami native. Horatio and Tim laughed they could tell their lover was embarrassed.

"Yes you do," they answered in unison.

"I hate you both," Eric grumbled. Horatio and Tim just laughed.

"You may hate us but you're not getting out of it," Speed teased. Eric blew out a breath he knew he couldn't win against these two.

"Fine, I found out just how vivid Cal's imagination was a year ago today when she confronted me about getting together with you two." Eric broke off hoping his lovers would be satisfied even though he knew they wouldn't.

"What did she do or say that made you realize how much of a dirty mind she has?" Horatio asked as he ran his right hand up and down Eric's thigh.

"Horatio," Eric whimpered giving his lover a heated look.

"Hey keep your eyes on the road, Horatio, and Eric, you finish your story," Speed scolded as he leaned in and kissed the back of Eric's neck causing the other man to whimper.

"I'll f-f-finish my story if you stop so I can focus," he said turning to look at Speed sitting in the backseat.

"Okay, fine, I'll stop for now."

"Well anyway she asked me when I was going to tell you I wanted to be in a relationship with you and I said that I wasn't even sure you two wanted me," Eric explained.

"And?" Speed prodded.

"She assured me that you did. I asked her how she knew that and she said it was because of the looks you were giving me. She said they were the kind that indicated you wanted me naked and in your bed while you had your wicked way with me until I came, screaming your names."

"She's exactly right that's what we wanted, that's what we still want," Horatio said huskily as he cupped Eric's arousal in his hand causing the younger man to arch into the touch.

"I agree that Calleigh's definitely one smart woman with one hell of an imagination," Speed added as he leaned in kissing Eric's neck then gently bit down, claiming him.

"Yes Speed!" Eric cried in pleasure.

"Easy Speed, we're almost home," Horatio called as he turned into their driveway. Nodding Speed pulled away from the hicky he was giving Eric. Eric whined in protest.

"Don't worry, babe, there's more where that came from," Speed promised whispering in the other CSI's ear causing a shiver to go down Eric's spine and his eyes to darken. Smiling Eric scrambled from the car and hurried to the house. Tim and Horatio laughed from behind him at his eagerness.

"They left us a note," Eric called removing it from the door and reading it silently.

"Hi, guys, I hope dinner was enjoyable. Go inside and you'll find the rest of your anniversary present. Have fun, see you Monday, oh and I want details, Cal." Eric blushed at the last line. Horatio and Tim came up behind him and read over their lovers shoulder.

"She really has a lot of fun and a dirty mind, doesn't she?" Speed asked.

"Yeah, on the back she wrote if you don't give me details I'll just make up my own and they'll be ten times better," Horatio read.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Lets go in and see what they've done," Eric said unlocking the door and opening it ready to have a night of love and passion with his lover's.

TBC?

A/n, please R/R!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The smell of Sandalwood assaulted his senses as he stepped into the entryway. The sound of something rustling at his feet made Eric look down. Rose petals covered the floor and appeared to be leaving a trail.

"The trail leads upstairs," Horatio called.

"Well then let's follow it," Tim added as he turned and headed for the stairs. None of them knew how it had started but by the time they reached their bedroom all three of them were naked and in various states of arousal. This was a result of the numerous stops on the stairs to press each other against the wall groping and making out like they were all a bunch of horny teenagers. The three of them stopped in their tracks when they reached their bedroom. Lit candles covered every available surface and rose petals covered the bed and floor. Champagne was chilling and next to it was a tray containing strawberries, whipped cream, and three champagne glasses.

"Are those silk sheets?" Speed exclaimed as he walked over to the bed.

"I believe so," Horatio replied.

"Wow, they went all out, didn't they?" Eric breathed.

"Yeah and they got us presents as well," Horatio said noticing the wrapped boxes on the bed.

"They got us presents after spending all this money on us? That's way to much," Eric said as he picked up the gifts and distributed them. Together they opened them and discovered they were each holding identical boxes.

"I wonder what's in it?" Speed wondered. Nodding in agreement the others opened the box Speed following their lead.

"Wow," Eric breathed as he caught sight of what was nestled in the jewelry box. It was a gold chain with a medallion on it.

"There's an inscription," Horatio said as he began reading it. "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7," Horatio read.

"On the back our initials and the date of our anniversary are inscribed in it," Speed added. Staring in awe at the beautiful gift they'd all been given the three men helped each other put the necklaces on and vowed to wear them always and forever.

"What do you say we have some of those strawberries and champagne?" Tim suggested as he picked up a piece of the juicy fruit and bit into it seductively letting a bit of juice trail down his chin before taking his finger and catching it then slowly licking his finger clean. Moaning in unison Horatio and Eric pounced on their lover and before Tim could blink he was pinned to the bed with Horatio on top of him and Eric attacking the back of his neck with wild abandonment. Talk about celebrating their anniversary it was going to be one hell of a night. Before Speed knew it he was flat on his back covered in whipped cream and juice from the strawberries as his lovers covered him in the sweet concoction. Taking a sip of the champagne from the glass next to him Speed pulled on Eric's hair urging his head up. Once Eric had lifted his head Speed pulled him in for a tongue-tangling kiss. Both men moaned into the kiss and the taste of whipped cream, strawberries and champagne. Horatio decided to join in on the fun and started trailing kisses over Speed's jaw until he reached his lips. Speed happily returned the kiss. Quickly the passion mounted until the three of them were so aroused that the only thing that would satisfy them was to make love. Pulling back Eric stared into Horatio's deep blue eyes.

"I want to make love to you," he breathed.

"And I want to make love to you," Speed whispered in Eric's ear.

"Okay," both men replied. Quickly both men were prepared and begging for more. Moans of ecstasy came from deep in their throats as they were filled completely.

"You feel so hot and tight," Eric ground out as he thrust into Horatio.

"MMM, don't stop," pleaded the redhead.

"Oh fuck yes! You feel so fuckin good," Speed growled as he thrust in and out of Eric at a brutal pace.

"Oh Speed, yes! Harder, faster, please," Eric demanded. Smiling Speed did what he was told angling so he would hit Eric's prostate.

"Fuck!" Eric shouted. It went on like that for a while until all that could be heard were moans of pleasure and shouts of each others names.

"Eric, I'm going to..." Horatio broke off as he began to shake.

"Come for me, Horatio, tell me who it's for," Eric crooned.

"Fuck yes! I'm coming; it's all for you oh fuck!" Horatio shouted coming. The tightening of his inner muscles caused Eric to shoot his load into his lover. The sensations of his two lover's orgasming sent Speed flying over the edge as well. They collapsed into a tangle of limbs trying to catch their breath.

"MMM, remind me to thank the girls," Speed mumbled. Eric chuckled against his chest.

"Don't worry we will," he said.

"Now we have to blow out all the candles," Horatio complained as he lay contentedly in Eric's arms.

"No, we don't, they used votives. They'll burn down completely on their own. We can clean up tomorrow," Speed said with a yawn.

"MMM-hmm," Eric agreed in a sleepy voice.

"Okay," Horatio said.

"Happy anniversary, I love you both," Speed said.

"We love you to, happy anniversary," Horatio said kissing Speed softly. Nodding Eric repeated Horatio's actions.

"Lets get some sleep we have some cleaning up to do in the morning," Eric told them letting his eyes close and a happy sigh came from his mouth as he drifted off to sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was three very happy and satisfied men that walked into the Miami Dade Crime Lab Monday morning.

"Morning, ladies," Horatio greeted as they walked into the break room.

"Mornin'," Calleigh replied.

"How was your weekend?" Alexx asked with a smile.

"It was wonderful, thank you," Eric spoke up.

"These are for you two," Speed said nudging Eric aside so he could reach the two women. He handed a dozen yellow roses to Alexx and some Tulips to Calleigh.

"Thank you," Calleigh said.

"It's us who owe you the thank you. You spent way to much money and went beyond anything we could have ever expected," Eric said sincerely.

"It was our pleasure, sugar," Alexx answered.

"Nevertheless, it was very much appreciated," Horatio told them. Both women smiled as they admired the flowers they'd been given happy the night they'd put together was so well enjoyed. After a bit more chatting everyone dispursed to continue working on their open cases. Just before Calleigh walked out the door she turned back and called out to Eric and Speed who were still in the room.

"Oh, and remember I want details." Both guys blushed and Calleigh laughed as she continued on her way.

TBC?

A/n, please R/R!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"We have a new case, all hands on deck. A three-year-old girl was taken from her home last night," Horatio informed his team on a Friday morning about two months after their anniversary. Nodding everyone grabbed their kits and hurried to the hummers. The neighborhood where the little girl had been taken was bustling with activity. Cop cars and other emergency vehicles were all over the street lights flashing and radios making noise.

"Hey Frank, what do we have?" Horatio asked as he reached the homicide detective.

"Three-year-old Haley Nicole Gibson was taken from her bedroom sometime between 2:00 AM and 6:30 AM," Frank reported.

"Are there any other children in the home?" Calleigh questioned.

"Yes, two, a one-year-old boy, Patrick and a five-year-old girl Melissa."

"How can the parents be so sure about the time when she was taken?" Calleigh questioned.

"They went to bed just before 2:00 and they had checked on all the children just before that and they woke up at 6:30 to start waking them and when they went into Haley's room they found her missing and the window open," Frank concluded.

"Frank and I will talk to the parents, Speed, you process the missing girl's room, and Eric you and Calleigh talk to the little girl," Horatio instructed.

"You got it, H," Speed said. The others nodded in affirmation as they headed into the house to start their investigation.

"Lets go find this little girl, Horatio," Frank said as he led the lieutenant to the two men sitting on the porch staring into space.

"Mr. Gibson, Mr. Williams-Gibson this is Horatio Caine, the lieutenant of the Miami Dade Crime Lab day shift," Frank introduced.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Horatio greeted.

"Hi Lieutenant, my name is Greg and this is my husband Nathan, are you here to find our daughter?" Greg asked.

"We are, sir. When was the last time you saw your daughter?" Horatio asked.

"It was around 1:45 just before we went to bed. We had a couple of friends over for a night of cards and it ended late. All three children were sleeping so we went to bed," Nathan explained.

"And when did you realize that Haley was missing?" Horatio questioned.

"It was when I went to wake her up. Greg was waking Missie and then he was going to get Pat up. When I walked into her room I noticed her window was open and s-s-she wasn't in her bed," Nathan explained as his voice shook and tears filled his eyes. Greg reached over and took his husband's hand giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Then Nathan screamed for me and I came running. When I realized she was missing I called the police then tried to keep the other kids calm," Greg interjected.

"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt either of you or Haley?" Frank inquired. Both men shook their heads.

"What about the fact that your two men in a committed relationship and your raising three children. Has anyone threatened you as a result of that?" Horatio prompted.

"Some people bad mouth us because we're a gay couple with children but no ones ever hurt us or the children because of it. They're all our biological children. A good friend of ours volunteered to be a surrogate," Greg explained.

"What was she wearing?" Horatio asked.

"Red Dora the Explorer pajamas," Nathan said.

"We're going to need a recent picture of Haley," Horatio said gently.

"Of course I'll get it," Nathan said standing up and moving mechanically to the house. He came back a moment later a picture clutched tightly in his hands.

"How recent is this picture?" Frank wanted to know.

"It was taken last week at day care," Greg supplied.

"Thank you, I'll get this back to you as soon as I can. I'm going to check in with my team but I'll keep you informed," Horatio promised holding out his hand for the two men to shake. Both men shook the lieutenants hand before following them into the house and taking a seat on the couch. Looking around the living room Horatio spotted Calleigh and Eric talking to Melissa and an older woman holding the baby.

"This is my mother, Cindy, we called her to come over and help watch the kids once we realized what was going on," Greg explained.

"Ma'am," Horatio acknowledged. Deciding to leave Calleigh and Eric to their questioning of the little girl Horatio made his way down the hall searching for his trace expert. He found him in the first door on the left. The room was covered in pictures of cats on every available surface.

"She really loved cats, didn't she?" he commented. Speed jumped he hadn't heard Horatio enter the room.

"Yeah she does," he covered quickly.

"What do you have?" Horatio asked.

"Well..." Speed began.

TBC?

A/n, R/R!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The living room that Calleigh and Eric found themselves in looked well lived in. Toys and books were scattered in various places. The baby was sleeping in his grandmother's arms and Melissa was watching an episode of Dora. Calleigh walked over to where the young girl was sitting on the floor and eased down beside her. Eric followed suit.

"Hi, my name's Calleigh and this is my friend Eric, what's your name?" Calleigh asked softly.

"Melissa, but everyone calls me Missie," she answered timmidly.

"Hi there, Missie, we're CSI's and we want to ask you a few questions. Do you know what a CSI does?" Eric wondered.

"No," she said.

"We work with the police to catch the bad guys. We're here to help find your little sister," Calleigh explained. "Did you hear anything last night or this morning from Haley's room?" she asked. Melissa scrunched up her face thinking hard.

"I don't know," she answered.

"Take your time, think about it for a second, kiddo," Eric soothed.

"I heard someone go into Haley's room. It wasn't Papa or Daddy, though," she explained.

"How do you know it wasn't either of your fathers?" Eric wondered.

"Cause they walked differently and had a funny cough. Daddy and Papa don't cough like that," she answered.

"What do you mean by a funny cough, sweetie?" Calleigh asked.

"It sounded like a bark and kind of rattley," Missie said.

"Like someone who's a heavy smoker," Eric whispered to Calleigh.

"Hmm, maybe," Calleigh commented.

"What do you mean they walked differently than your fathers?" Calleigh asked.

"They made clomping sounds like I make in my cowgirl boots. Daddy bought them for me for my birthday," she explained.

"I see," Calleigh responded.

"Is that all you heard last night?" Eric asked the little girl.

"Yes, can I watch TV again, please?"

"Sure you can, sweetie, thank you for talking to us," Calleigh said.

"Your welcome," Missie replied before turning back to the television and Dora the Explorer.

"Let's go fill Horatio and Speed in," Calleigh told Eric.

"Okay," he answered. The two of them made their way to the missing toddler's room. They reached the door just in time to hear Speed tell Horatio what he'd found.

"Well, I found a partial print on the window as well as a cigarette just outside the window. The shoe impressions made in the carpet look like boots. There didn't appear to be a struggle suggesting that the girl didn't wake up when she was lifted out of bed or if she did the perp moved fast enough that she couldn't draw anyone's attention," Speed finished.

"That matches what the older sister told us," Eric said alerting the others to their presence.

"What did you get from the girl?" Horatio asked them.

"She said that the person who took her sister had noisy footsteps like the noise the boots she'd gotten for her birthday made. It would make since that she'd hear the boots on the hardwood floor of the hallway. She also said the person had a strange cough like a bark and it was kind of a rattle," Calleigh informed them.

"Someone who's a heavy smoker, perhaps," Horatio commented.

"That's what we were thinking to," Eric agreed.

"The parents don't know of any enemies who would want to hurt either them or Haley. They say that them being a gay couple raising three children hasn't been a very big deal. They've experienced some prejudice but nothing threatening or dangerous, according to them. All three children are biologically theirs. A close family friend volunteered to be a surrogate," Horatio informed the rest of his team.

"So where do we go from here?" Speed questioned.

"Speed, get the evidence back to the lab and process it. Eric you Calleigh and I will start searching for the girl with the scent dogs and other officers. Once you've processed the trace evidence and dropped the cigarette off with Valera come join us," Horatio concluded directing his last comment at Speed.

"Okay, see you in a little while," Speed said walking out. Calleigh proceeded the other two men and walked up to Greg and Nathan.

"We're going to need something with Haley's scent on it as well as some DNA and some hair. Maybe like from a tooth brush or a hair brush," Calleigh suggested.

"Of course," Greg said standing up and retrieving the requested items.

"Speed, here take these with you," Calleigh called just as he was about to walk out the door. Speed reached for the evidence bags containing the tooth brush and hair brush.

"What kind of item do you need with her scent on it?" Nathan wondered.

"Maybe a shirt or a blanket she always carries with her?" Eric suggested.

"Here's her blanket she takes it with her everywhere," Nathan said handing the pink cat blanket to the CSI.

"Thank you," Eric said softly as he held the blanket ready to give it to the scent dogs. After receiving a nod from Horatio Calleigh and Eric followed him out of the house and towards the officer who was in charge of the scent dogs. The officers who were keeping guard at the house nodded at the three CSI's as they walked by.

"I have a blanket of the girls," Eric said handing it to the head officer.

"Okay, thanks," he said as he held the blanket in front of the dog's noses. He let them get used to the scent and commit it to memory before speaking.

"Track!" he commanded. Immediately the dogs took off following the trail of the little girls scent. The CSI's and assembled officers hurried to catch up. They made sure to stay back far enough so as not to confuse the dogs but close enough to see what was happening. Horatio frowned as the dogs led them into the surrounding woods. If the girl was hidden in the woods it would be very difficult to find her, let alone find her alive.

"Haley? Haley Gibson?" called one of the officers. Everyone else picked up the thread and began calling out for the little girl.

"Haley, are you out here? Haley, it's okay we're the police," Horatio called out.

"Haley Gibson, Haley?" Calleigh called softly. A cry caught the search parties attention.

"Hey did you hear that?" Eric asked.

"Yeah it's coming from the right," Horatio called back. He was walking alongside the dogs and his spirits rose when they began barking loudly, indicating they'd found something. Everyone picked up the pace at the frantic barking of the dogs. About a hundred feet from where Eric had heard the cry they spotted a tiny body lying in the underbrush. Moving quickly Horatio knelt down beside the little girl.

"Haley?" he questioned softly. The little girl nodded as she sniffled.

"Hi there, Haley, my name's Horatio, I'm with the police. Are you hurt, sweetheart?" he asked gently.

"My head and arm. That man grabbed it when he taked me," she explained.

"Lets get you out of here, what do you say, kiddo?"

"Otay, where's Daddy and Papa?" she wondered.

"They're back at your house and I know they can't wait to see you," Horatio told her. "Is it okay if I pick you up, sweetheart? The little girl nodded. At the nod from the frightened child Horatio gently slid his arms under her and lifted her easily into his arms. A cheer went up from the officers and his team as they saw him walking forward the little girl safely ensconced in his arms.

"Call the parents and let them know we've got her. Call EMS and tell them to meet us at the house," Horatio barked. Officers scrambled to do what the lieutenant had ordered. Everyone was so focused on the fact that the little girl had been found that they didn't see the kidnapper come out from the shadows. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye Eric barely had time to yell a warning before a gunshot was heard.

"Everybody down!" he shouted just before a gun was fired. Pulling her gun as she spun Calleigh fired hitting the suspect squarely in the chest killing him instantly. Officers descended on the man kicking his gun away before checking for a pulse. The officer looked up and shook his head. Calleigh's shot had been right on the mark, the perp was dead. Horatio who was busy checking over the little girl and trying to calm her down only vaguely realized the man had been killed. He'd hit the ground covering Haley at Eric's yell and remained on the ground to protect the little girl. Noticing her boss still on the ground comforting the little girl Calleigh did a head count of the officers ensuring everyone was accounted for and unharmed. Her heart stopped when she realized someone was missing. She couldn't locate Eric which made her very anxious. Then she saw him and she drew in a sharp breath. He was on the ground blood covering his shirt staining it an awful red color. Sprinting over to her fallen friend Calleigh dropped to her knees and pressed her trembling fingers to Eric's neck. She blew out a breath of relief when she felt a pulse under her fingers. Grabbing her radio she spoke into it.

"I have an officer down! Repeating I have an officer down. We need an ambulance at the scene of the Gibson kidnapping, now." Reaching out she placed her hand over the wound applying pressure. It worried her at the amount of blood he'd already lost and at the blood that was coming through her fingers.

"Eric, can you hear me?" she asked softly.

"…Cal?" he choked out.

"Yeah, it's me," she answered sniffling.

"…Hurts," he whispered.

"I know it does, take it easy, helps on the way," Calleigh soothed. Eric whimpered as pain shot through him causing Calleigh's heart to break that much more for her friend. Horatio realizing the gunfire had ended rose to his feet with Haley still in his arms. His heart stopped beating when he heard Calleigh say they had an officer down and then he looked over to where the blonde was knealing only to discover that the officer down was Eric. Grabbing the nearest officer he handed Haley off to him.

"Take her straight to her parents," he demanded.

"Yes, Lieutenant," the officer responded. Horatio didn't hear him, though, because as soon as the little girl was safe in the other man's arms he was running through the woods to where Calleigh and his fallen lover were.

"How is he, Calleigh?" Horatio asked his protégé as he reached them.

"He's losing a lot of blood but he's conscious," she reported.

"Hor...atio?" Eric questioned faintly clearly the pain made it hard to talk.

"I'm here, Eric. Your going to be fine, you hear me? Your going to be fine.

"I… hear… you…" Eric responded. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut trying to block out the pain. Reaching out her hand Calleigh took his hand into hers.

"Squeeze my hand if you need to. Squeeze mine and Horatio's hands that's what we're here for," she soothed. Giving them a small smile Eric did what the blonde told him and squeezed their hands when the pain became too much. Noticing that Eric's eyes were closing Horatio tapped him on the cheek.

"I need you to stay awake for me, Eric. Stay with me, okay?" Horatio requested.

"Tired... cold," Eric complained.

"I know but you can't go to sleep," Horatio pleaded. Calleigh was about to ask where the ambulance was when it came screaming around the corner. Calleigh had never been so glad that there was an access road close to where they were. The EMT's jumped out and ran over to the trio.

"We need you to move back so we can take care of him," one of the medics said. Calleigh moved back to give them room but Horatio was clutching Eric's hand like if he let go Eric might disappear.

"C'mon, Horatio let them take care of Eric," Calleigh coaxed placing a hand on his arms. Reluctantly Horatio moved back and stood up allowing the medics to do their job and stabilize Eric for transport to the hospital. Calleigh wrapped her arms around her boss in a tight hug which he gladly returned. They watched in silence as their worst nightmare was happening right in front of them. Someone they loved dearly was hurt.

TBC?

A/n R/R!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Tim had dropped off the evidence in their proper places and had analyzed the bit of trace he'd collected so while he was waiting on the lab techs to contact him with results he decided to pay Alexx a visit. Walking down to autopsy he knocked on her office door alerting her to his presence.

"Hi, Timmy, what can I do for you?" she asked brightly.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you. I'm waiting on evidence to be processed and Valera threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't leave her lab and stop looking over her shoulder to see if the DNA from the case has a match," he admitted. Alexx laughed at the reaction of the trace expert but she knew why he was so anxious about this case. Cases involving children hit them all hard. They had a chance to maybe reunite a little girl with her family and if they worked fast enough she would hopefully still be alive. She was about to suggest they go grab a bite to eat when the radio she kept sitting on her desk sprang to life grabbing both of their attention.

"We have an officer down! Repeating we have an officer down, we need an ambulance to the scene of the Gibson kidnapping, now." They stared at each other wide-eyed until Tim finally spoke.

"Was that Cal?" he whispered hoping against all hope he was wrong and that wasn't the southern bell.

"I'm afraid so," Alexx said grimly. Tim's heart raced and all the color drained from his face at Alexx's confirmation. His heart sank if Calleigh was the one making the officer down call then she wasn't hurt. Of course he was thankful she wasn't hurt but… There were only two reasons she'd sound so panicked and he didn't like either of them. Those two reasons were Horatio and Eric. Recognizing the urgency and panic in her friends voice Alexx had reached the same conclusions as her frightened companion. A frown spread across her pretty face as she realized that who ever was hurt was either Eric or Horatio. Moving quickly she grabbed Speed's arm and pulled him down the hall.

"Give me your keys, I'm driving," she told him. Mutely he reached into his pocket and extracted the keys to the hummer and handed them to Alexx.

They reached the car in record time and climbed in. Alexx took off with both lights and sirens. She was never so glad that the lights and sirens gave them clearance on the roads they wouldn't otherwise have.

"Where am I going, Timmy?" she questioned just realizing she didn't know. Quickly he gave her the address before clasping his hands and doing something he hadn't done in a long time, pray. Reaching out she patted his hand.

"Everything will be okay, they're both strong men," she reassured. Wordlessly he nodded he knew she was right but it didn't make things any easier. One of his lovers was still injured.

Frank swore as he pulled himself to his feet and observed the chaos. The suspect was being guarded by two officers even though he was no longer a threat and he could see the officer who was carrying the little girl in the distance as he carried her to her parents awaiting arms. He swore a second time when he saw Calleigh and Horatio locked in a tight embrace tears on both their cheeks and the paramedics tending to Eric. The young man didn't look good, frank noted grimly. Heaving a deep sigh he walked over to the two embracing CSI's and placed a hand on Calleigh's shoulder catching her attention. She looked up at him with watery eyes.

"Hey," she greeted sadly.

"Hey, how is he?" Frank asked jerking his head at Eric.

"I don't know," answered the blonde.

"How is he?" Frank repeated this time jerking his head at Horatio who she was holding on to for dear life. A frown came to Calleigh's face which was all the answer the detective needed. Horatio wasn't doing good at all. Just then Calleigh saw flashing lights out of the corner of her eye and heard sirens. She swore as she recognized the CSI hummer.

"Damn!"

"What is it?" Frank questioned.

"Speed and Alexx are here," she explained pointing to the hummer. Frank nodded as he turned. He knew what he was being asked to do.

"I'll go intercept them," he said as he turned on his heels and stalked purposefully towards the county vehicle. He was dreading the fact that he had to give such bad news to the two people who were getting out of the car and staring at him anxiously.

"What's going on, Frank?" Speed demanded. As Frank began to speak Alexx scanned her surroundings and felt tears fill her eyes when she noticed the scene.

"The suspect came out with a gun and fired a shot. Calleigh returned fire and killed him instantly. Horatio who had just found the little girl was on the ground covering her. Calleigh did a quick head count and noticed that Eric was down. The medics are working on him, now," Frank finished.

"Where's Horatio?" Speed questioned numbly.

"He's right there," Alexx answered pointing to the two CSI's clinging to each other clearly shaken and crying. Mechanically Speed walked over to where his lover and one of his best friends were standing. Alexx and Frank followed close behind him.

"Horatio, Calleigh?" Speed whispered as he reached them. Both of them raised their heads at the sound of someone calling their names.

"Speed," Horatio greeted somberly as he moved from Calleigh's comforting arms to the arms of his lover. They clung to each other seeking strength from one another. Calleigh stood off to the side dividing her attention between the two men and Eric lying on the stretcher. Alexx walked up and pulled her friend into a comforting hug which Calleigh quickly returned. Just then one of the paramedics walked up to the small group.

"We're ready to transport him to Dade Memorial. We've stabilized him as much as we can in the field," he said.

"Who's going with us?" his partner asked. Both Speed and Horatio raised their hands.

"Very well then, come on we need to move," the first medic said briskly as they lifted the stretcher carrying Eric on it. He cried out in pain as he was lifted and both his lovers were immediately at his side soothing him.

"We're right behind you," Alexx said as the stretcher was lifted into the ambulance and Horatio and Speed climbed in after it.

"Okay, see you there," Speed called back.

"I'll meet yall at the hospital as soon as I'm done giving my report," Frank said addressing the two women. Calleigh nodded as she stared down at her hands unable to look away from the blood that covered them. Noticing where her friend's attention had drifted Alexx placed a hand on Calleigh's arm and spoke softly.

"C'mon, sugar, we'll clean up your hands once we get to the hospital."

"Okay," Calleigh mumbled as she slowly followed the M.E to the hummer she and Speed had arrived in.

TBC?

A/n R/R!, please. The faster people review the faster I'll update.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Calleigh scrubbed her hands vigorously as the water ran over them. She had made a beeline for the bathroom when they'd gotten their and after nodding at the boys who sat anxiously in the waiting room Alexx quickly followed her. Calleigh stared transfixed at the blood as it mixed with the water and ran down the drain. The blood had been completely washed off but Calleigh couldn't seem to stop scrubbing her hands. Reaching over Alexx grabbed some paper towels with one hand while turning off the water with the other. Calleigh looked up startled as the water was turned off.

"You've got it all, dry your hands," Alexx prompted holding out the paper towels. Nodding Calleigh took the towels and dried her hands shakily before throwing them into the trash can next to the counter.

"Let's go see if the guys know anything," Alexx suggested.

"Okay," Calleigh agreed opening the bathroom door and walking out into the hall.

"Do you know anything yet?" she asked as they walked into the waiting room. Horatio shook his head.

"They took him straight up to surgery, that's all we know," Speed supplied.

"What happened out there anyway?" Alexx asked wondering how things had gone down and turned out so horribly wrong.

"Horatio, Eric and I went with the officers to search for Haley and Horatio sent Speed back to the lab to process the evidence. We were calling for Haley and Eric heard a cry and the dogs followed the sound and her scent and found her in the underbrush," Calleigh explained.

"How is she?" Speed questioned.

"Her head has a nice bump on it, and her arm appears to be broken but other than that she appears to be okay," Horatio answered.

"So how did it go from finding Haley to Eric getting shot?" Alexx asked.

"Horatio approached the little girl and after she said it was okay he picked her up and carried her out of the underbrush and told the officers to call her parents and the medics. That was when Eric must have seen the perp come out of the shadows because he yelled for everyone to get down, and then the perp fired his gun. I turned and fired my weapon at the sound of gunfire and killed him instantly," Calleigh said matter-of-factly.

"I was still on the ground protecting Haley so I'm assuming Calleigh did a quick head count and that's when she discovered that Eric was down?" Horatio asked not truly sure how she'd discovered Eric's fallen form.

"Yeah that's right, I realized that I couldn't find Eric then I saw him on the ground and he was bleeding profusely. I ran over to him and once I found a pulse I called it in and said we had an officer down. Then Horatio came over and we sat with him until the paramedics got their," she concluded. Silence descended on the group as they digested the events of the day and tried to come to grips with the fact that one of their own was currently fighting for their life.

TBC?

A/n, thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming. Encourage your friends to read it.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Haley's safe and sound with her parents again and our suspect has been identified," Frank informed the silent group as he walked into the waiting room a couple of hours later.

"Who was he?" Horatio asked.

"His name was Benjamin Robertson he was Greg's former boyfriend. They broke up and he didn't take it well. He vowed to get back at Greg someday and make him pay," Frank explained.

"Why wait so long?" Speed wondered.

"I don't know he kind of fell off the map after they broke up until a month or so ago, that is. Then he surfaced as a janitor at the day care where the kids go," Frank said.

"He saw that Haley was Greg's daughter and found his chance to get revenge," Calleigh added.

"MMM hmm," Horatio agreed.

"But all he succeeded in doing was getting himself killed and shooting an officer," Speed said bitterly.

"How's Haley?" Calleigh asked the homicide detective.

"She's okay, they took her to the hospital just to check her out but she's okay accept for a bump on the head and a broken wrist. The backup M.E took Robertson to the lab and is awaiting an autopsy by you, Alexx," Frank told her.

"I'll do it later today or tomorrow but not until I know how Eric is," she said.

"Your about to get your wish," Calleigh said as she saw the doctor in blue scrubs spattered with blood walking towards the waiting room consulting his clipboard.

"Family of Eric Delko?" he asked as he stood in the doorway. Everyone stood up and turned to the slightly balding doctor.

"How is he, Doctor?" Horatio asked anxiously.

"Mr. Delko should make a full recovery. He's lucky if the bullet had been a couple of inches lower we'd be talking about a very different situation. His shoulder and upper chest will take sometime to heal but he should be good as new in a few months. I want to keep him here for a couple of days to watch him but he should be able to go home in two or three days," the doctor said. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that Eric was going to be okay.

"Can we see him?" Calleigh requested.

"Sure you can, he's in room 119," the doctor informed them.

"Thank you, Doctor," Speed said turning towards the hall to head to his lovers room. Everyone else nodded in agreement before following Speed.

It was a very groggy Eric who turned his head as the door to his hospital room was opened and the rest of the team filed in.

"Hey," he rasped out as he tried to give everyone a smile but it ended up looking more like a grimace instead.

"Hey there, babe," Speed said softly as he moved towards the bed taking Eric's cold hand into his much warmer one. Horatio followed suit and took hold of Eric's other hand.

"Hey how are you feeling, baby?" Alexx asked kindly.

"Okay, these are some incredible pain meds," Eric said with a goofy smile on his face. Calleigh laughed at her friend's face.

"I'd say so by the smile on your face. You look kind of loopy," she teased.

"MMM, Haley get back to her parents okay?" Eric asked.

"Yeah she did and Calleigh killed the guy. Apparently he was a former boyfriend of Greg and he didn't take it well when they broke up and he promised revenge. Then he became a janitor where the kids went to day care a month ago. Then chose to kidnap Haley last night," Speed explained. Eric whistled through his teeth at the news.

"Wow, what a day," Eric commented. They continued to chat for a while until Speed saw Eric's eyes begin to droop and he yawned. Reaching over he pulled the blanket that Eric had pushed down up over his lover's shoulders and tucked it in around him.

"MMM?" Eric mumbled.

"Sleep," Speed instructed softly. Nodding Eric let his eyes fall close and let the pain killers pull him under. The others continued their vigil until they were told hospital visiting hours were over and they had to go home. Horatio and Speed remained at their lover's bedside glad he was going to be okay. Both of them just hoped this was the last close call the three of them would have at least for a while.

TBC?

A/n, please R/R! Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. Please encourage your friends to read this story.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Eric used the next couple of months to get stronger but also to do some research. He kept this research secret from his lover's, though. Anytime they walked into the room he'd cover up the papers around him or close a website he was browsing. Naturally Tim and Horatio were curious and finally decided to confront him about it one day. Tim being the more blunt of the two decided to just ask Eric outright.

"What are you hiding from us?" he asked the Cuban-Russian as they settled on the couch after dinner.

"Huh?" Eric asked in confusion.

"What Speed means is that everytime we come home you have to hide papers or quickly close a website. What's going on, Eric?" Horatio questioned. His eyes looked deep into Eric's searching for an explanation. Taking a deep breath Eric shifted so he could see both Horatio and Speed before he spoke.

"I've been looking into the different options for gay couples to have kids," Eric said softly.

"Why were you hiding this from us? Don't you think we might be interested in this to? That we should have a say in this decision?" Speed asked. He was getting irritated he tried not to but it was hard. He hated it when people went behind his back and whether Eric intended to or not that's exactly what he did. Eric flinched at the accusation he heard in his boyfriend's voice.

"I was trying to do my research before I talked to you guys about this so you wouldn't accuse me of being irrational and jumping to conclusions because of how close we came to losing what we had!" Eric gritted out through his teeth.

Raising a hand to silence the arguing Horatio spoke.

"Tim, let's listen to what Eric has to say," Horatio admonished his lover gently. "And Eric calm down we won't accuse you of being irrational you just caught us off guard," Horatio soothed.

"Yeah I know and I'm sorry," Eric mumbled looking into Horatio's eyes. He couldn't make himself look into Speed's, though. He was afraid of what he'd see in the trace expert's eyes. Speed nodded in acknowledgement of Horatio's words and Eric's apologies as he made himself relax and turn to Eric ready for what he had to say.

"Look at me, Eric," Speed coaxed placing a hand on Eric's cheek. Nodding Eric tilted his head so he was looking into Speed's brown eyes.

"I love you and I'm ready to listen to what you have to say," Speed said against Eric's lips just before he placed a tender kiss on them.

"I love you to," Eric replied returning the kiss before pulling back and beginning to speak.

"I hid it from you because I wasn't sure if you wanted kids and also because I was afraid you'd just think I'm doing this because of the Haley Gibson case," Eric explained.

"Are you?" Horatio wondered.

"No, I've always wanted kids but I was scared to bring it up because I wasn't sure if you two did," he responded. "I guess the case brought it to the forefront of my mind, though," he conceded.

"I've always wanted children but until now I wasn't sharing my life with anyone I wanted to raise them with," Horatio said.

"Tim?" Eric asked nervously looking at his lover.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you I understand why you kept this from us, now. I just felt like you were going behind my back," the New Yorker explained.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to do that," Eric apologized as he pulled Speed in for an apologetic kiss. Speed was smiling when they pulled apart.

"As for the kid issue I'd like to have kids but I'm not so sure how I'd be as a father," he admitted.

"You'd make an excellent father," Eric assured his lover. Tim scoffed at the suggestion but Horatio nodded his head in agreement with Eric.

"What makes you think you wouldn't be a good father?" Horatio asked.

"My parents weren't the best examples. It wasn't until my little brother came along that they were really parents. He was the better son who never rebelled and he settled down with a wife and had a couple of kids. It took them along time to accept the fact that I'm gay. The only thing that saved me in their eyes was that I loved working in my Dad's restaurant and was good at it. They were always comparing me to Sean and asking why I couldn't be more like my brother. I don't want to do that to my children. I want to support them in whatever they do and love them for who they are not what someone thinks they should be," Speed said vehemently.

"I know we'll all love our children for who they are and support them in everything they do. I'm thankful to your parents for one thing," Eric told his lover.

"What's that?" Speed wondered.

"I'm glad they raised you like they did in one respect because it's the man I fell in love with all those months ago," Eric complimented.

"He's right, Tim," Horatio interjected. A small smile spread across Speed's face as he pulled first Eric then Horatio in for a long passionate kiss. All three of them were breathless when they pulled apart.

"Getting back to the original subject," Eric said trying to get the conversation back on track. Horatio and Tim nodded as they refocused on the topic at hand.

"So are we all in agreement that this is something we want to go further with?" Horatio asked his two lovers.

"Yes," Eric answered.

"Yeah," Speed agreed.

"Okay, what have you learned Eric?" Horatio questioned.

"There are three options, well actually four but two of them are similar. We can apply to be foster parents and take in children who need a foster home. The second option is to adopt. The third and fourth options are to have a surrogate. The third option is to find someone we trust to be our surrogate and the fourth and final option is to go through an agency who can match us up with a surrogate," Eric concluded.

"Well, being foster parents means we can help children who are in bad situations and provide them a good home, but the downside to that is that it's usually a temporary situation which would make it hard if we get attached to them," Speed thought out loud.

"As for adoption I have no problem with that, but I'd like us to have the chance to have our own biological children first. If it doesn't work then we could look into adoption," Horatio interjected.

"I agree with you Horatio," Eric said.

"So do I," Speed added.

"So we're all in agreement that we want to start with a surrogate and then look into adoption if it doesn't work out?" Eric asked. The others nodded.

"I like the third option best of the last two options; I'd feel more comfortable if the surrogate was someone we know. I mean I know they screen the applicants very intently but," Horatio broke off but Tim and Eric were nodding in understanding.

"But who could we ask?" Speed wondered. They thought for a moment before all speaking at once.

"Calleigh," they said in unison before looking at each other and bursting out laughing.

"Well we've got the person now we just need to talk to her and see if she's even interested in helping us," Eric said.

"What if she isn't?" Speed questioned.

"Then we look into the other options," Horatio said.

"When do we talk to her about this?" Eric asked.

"We can invite her to dinner tomorrow night?" Speed suggested.

"Sounds good it's my last day at home so I can work on dinner and have it ready when you guys get home," Eric said.

"Okay, it's settled we'll invite her over for dinner when we get to work tomorrow," Horatio said as he stretched and yawned. Looking at the clock he was surprised to realize it was already 10:00 he couldn't believe how fast the evening had gone by.

"I think it's time for bed," Speed said as he stood. Horatio and Eric nodded as they followed his lead and stood as well. After locking up and turning out all the lights the three of them climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep wrapped up in each others arms.

TBC?

A/n, pPleae R/R! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, please keep it up!


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"So what did yall wanna talk to me about?" Calleigh asked as she sipped from her glass of wine. Eric had fixed a chicken and rice dish his mother had taught him how to cook and they were enjoying it with a bottle of wine. The three guys glanced at each other. Calleigh could see the question passing between them. Who would talk? Finally after a few looks sent back and forth Eric spoke.

"I'll talk since this was my idea in the first place.

"We'll help you," Horatio promised grabbing Eric's hand in his.

"Yes we will," Speed added grabbing his other hand. Calleigh stared patiently at the three of them curious about what was going on.

"We want a chance to have kids of our own. There are several options and we've discussed each one and we've made a decision. We want to have a surrogate," he said.

"How does that process work?" Calleigh wondered.

"There are two options. We can either get connected with an agency who will help us find a surrogate or we ask someone we trust to be our surrogate," Horatio explained. Calleigh's eyes widened slightly as she thought she'd figured out just what they wanted to talk to her about. They were watching her face and saw when the realization began to hit.

"You want me to be your surrogate?" she whispered.

"Yes if you're comfortable with it. We trust you; you'd be able to be in the children's lives, and your young and healthy. Besides we already have a solid friendship with you which will make the process easier," Speed said. Calleigh's eyes filled with tears and one slid down her cheek. Horatio pulled a tissue from the box on the counter and handed it to her.

"Cal? You okay Hun? We didn't mean to make you cry," Eric said.

"I know you didn't, don't worry, these are happy tears. I'm honored that yall think of me so highly and would let me be involved in this part of your lives. I just have a few questions," she told them.

"Ask away," Eric prompted.

"How would the expenses be covered? I know that surrogacy is very expensive," she said.

"We would be willing to cover as much as you'll let us. We want this more than anything else in the world and are willing to cover the cost completely if that's what it takes," Speed said.

"What about my involvement in their lives?" Calleigh questioned nervously. Reaching out Horatio covered her slender hand with his. Speed and Eric reached out and took her other hand into theirs.

"You'll always be involved in their life. It's your choice how involved you get. You'd be there mother Cal, and nothing would change that," Horatio assured her.

"We may be their fathers but they'd need their mother just as much," Speed said gently.

"They're right," Eric interjected.

"Are there any special things you would want me to do while I was pregnant?" she asked.

"Just eat healthy and maybe drink a bit less coffee?" Eric suggested. Calleigh frowned at the mention of the coffee.

"We wouldn't expect you to give up coffee completely; studies have shown that some caffeine consumption during pregnancy is okay. Just lesson your intake," Horatio reassured her. Calleigh flashed him a smile. She could lesson the amount of caffeine she drank if it meant making her friends happy and giving them and herself something they all wanted.

"Plus, I already eat mostly healthy anyway," she remarked. They nodded it was true she usually was a fairly healthy eater.

"Unless your doctor says differently I'd assign you to desk duty during your six month," Horatio added. Calleigh nodded she could understand where he was coming from on that one. There job was a dangerous one and not something a baby should be exposed to. Placing her hands in her lap she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The guys sat in silence allowing her to think through everything.

After a few minutes of silence she spoke. "So what's our next step? Do I need to make an appointment with my doctor for her to talk to all of us? Do we need to draw up a financial plan?" Calleigh asked.

"Ye…" Eric started to answer before all of her question registered in his brain.

"Eric?" she asked cheekily.

"You want to do this then?" he whispered afraid that if he asked his question any louder that she'd change her mind. A slow smile crossed Calleigh's face.

"Yes I do. I want to help you guys have a family. I want to be a part of a family. I want to have a baby," she whispered as a few more tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Before she knew it Calleigh was out of her chair and being spun around in Eric's strong arms before being placed in first Speed's then finally Horatio's arms. All of them had tears in their eyes and broad smiles on their faces. After being hugged tightly by the redhead Calleigh was placed gently on her feet.

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" Eric cried in excitement as he pulled her in for another enthusiastic hug.

"I can't help you have a baby if you don't let me breathe, though," she said as he hugged her tightly.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized looking sheepish. "I'm just so glad you agreed to this.

"We all are," Horatio said.

"I'm terrified at what kind of father I'm going to make but as long as I have you Eric and H to help me we'll all be okay," Speed added to the conversation. Calleigh smiled at all three men. She was so glad to have the opportunity to give the three of them something they so desperately wanted. They'd done so much for her along the way she wanted a chance to thank them and now it looked like she'd get that chance.

"Okay, so I'll set up an appointment with my doctor and we'll get this process started. As for money I'd like to cover half of the expenses," Calleigh negotiated.

"That seems fair," Eric consented. The others nodded in agreement.

"Well then I'll call my doctor on Monday and explain the situation. I just have one more question."

"What's that, Cal?" Speed wondered.

"Who wants to go first?" Identical smiles crossed the two New Yorkers faces. They'd talked about this very question at work today. They all wanted the chance to have their own child but they knew that it would mean the most to Eric if he could go first.

"We want Eric to go first," Horatio answered his ballistics expert.

"What?" Eric asked in shock. They hadn't shared that they were going to give him the first chance so he was pleasantly surprised.

"We want you to go first," Horatio told his youngest lover.

"Wow, thank you," Eric said softly.

"There's no need to thank us we decided while we were at work today that you should get the first opportunity," Speed said as he leaned in for a sweet kiss. They continued to talk about aspects of the process plus other random topics for a couple more hours before they realized how late it was and Calleigh bade them goodnight as she headed home.

"She said yes," Horatio said in awe. He still couldn't believe that they were going to finally get their wish.

"Yes, she did," Eric replied. Speed smiled as he pulled Eric close then reached out to pull Horatio into the embrace. The three of them stood in the middle of the living room swaying to some unknown beat thinking about the adventure that was lying ahead of them.

TBC?

A/n, Please R/R! Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. It means a lot to me!


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"The first step is to do some routine blood work to determine that both of you are healthy. According to your health histories I don't foresee any complications but it's a standard part of the process," Dr. Johnston, Calleigh's OBGYN explained to Eric and Calleigh who were sitting in chairs in front of her in her office. Speed and Horatio were involved in the appointment via speaker phone. They'd been called to help out on a case outside Miami. A serial rapist they'd been tracking in Miami appeared to have struck in Orlando now so they'd called in help from the crime lab in Miami and since Speed and Horatio were the two investigators who'd caught the cases in Miami they were naturally the best two to go to Orlando. Naturally they felt bad for not being able to be there with Calleigh and Eric at the appointment despite the fact that both Eric and Calleigh assured them it was alright.

"It's an occupational hazard, don't worry about it. This won't be the last doctor's appointment," Calleigh had told them when she heard the news. Eric had nodded in agreement before kissing them both goodbye that morning.

"I have a question Dr. Johnston," Horatio said over the phone.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant, err uh, I mean Horatio," the doctor corrected herself blushing just a bit. All the guys had told her to call them by their first names.

"After you draw the blood and assuming everything comes back okay how do we proceed from there?"

"We will need to get a sample of Sperm from Eric and an egg from Calleigh then we place them both together and hope they make an embryo. Then we implant the embryo into Calleigh's uterus and watch the baby grow. I'll be honest with you it doesn't always work the first time but if both members are healthy that will increase the chances of having a successful pregnancy the first time," she explained. Reaching over she opened the door and called into the hallway.

"Mindy, can you come in here for a second?" A moment later the nurse Mindy who had beautiful blonde hair and green eyes walked into the office.

"What can I do for you, Karen? Hi, Calleigh how are you?" she questioned.

"Hi, Mind, I'm good, very excited," Calleigh answered.

"I'd imagine you are, with a man this handsome why wouldn't you be? Yall are gonna make one smokin' hot baby," she said in a matter-a-fact tone. Eric blushed furiously and Speed and Horatio sniggered while Calleigh smiled. Turning to the phone Mindy spoke again.

"The three of you had better keep this kid locked up especially if it's a girl," she teased.

"Oh trust me, we will," Horatio promised.

"Yeah, no dating until she's 30," Speed added.

"Make it 35," Eric put in.

"Boys, that's enough," Calleigh scolded as she laughed. She laughed even harder at the groans of protest that met her ears. Karen and Mindy smiled at the interplay between the four. A soft smile crossed Karen's face at the banter between the friends. She'd helped several couples have a baby in both traditional and nontraditional ways like surrogacy and she hadn't ever been surer of a more perfect match for any possible child than she was this group. Any child that was born into this little family would be well loved and cared for. He or she would never doubt their love and worth in this world.

"What did you need me for, Karen?" Mindy questioned snapping her fingers in front of her bosses face.

"Oh, sorry, I spaced out for a moment. We need labs drawn for both Calleigh and Eric," she said.

"Okay, who wants to be my first victim?" Mindy asked with a smirk. Eric shrank back slightly he'd never been too fond of needles. Noticing the look on her friends face Calleigh raised her hand.

"I'll go first, Mindy," she offered. Eric gave her a thankful look wich she sweetly returned.

"Okay, I'll be right back with my supplies," Mindy said exiting the room. Much to fast for Eric's liking she was back with a couple of tubes, a couple of needles a pair of gloves and a tray to hold it all.

"Roll up your left sleeve if you would, please, Calleigh," she instructed. Once her sleeve was rolled up Calleigh placed her arm straight with her palm facing up on the little table Mindy had moved next to her chair.

"I'm all ready," Calleigh said brightly. She wasn't very fond of needles but she knew it was part of the process and she did her best not to think about it. Reaching for an alcohol prep she had in her scrub pocket Mindy tore it open and pulled out the wipe.

"This is going to be cold," she warned. Nodding Calleigh jumped slightly as she felt the cool pad touch her skin. After cleaning the spot thoroughly she reached for the rubber band and tied it around Calleigh's arm just below the elbow. Once it was in place she ran her fingers along the bend in the blonde's arm searching for a good vein. After a moment of searching she smiled.

"Ah, looks like I found a good one," she informed the group. Keeping one finger on the spot she picked up the needle with the other hand and attached the tube to it.

Meanwhile Eric was staring transfixed at the needle. He wanted desperately to look away but he couldn't seem to. His breath quickened as the needle neared Calleigh's creamy white skin. Noticing the change in her friend's breathing Calleigh spoke up.

"Hold on a sec, Mindy." Mindy followed Calleigh's eyes and noticed Eric's pale face and uneven breathing.

"Eric, look at me, focus on my face, not the needle, okay?" she soothed.

"O...kay, Cal," he stammered.

"Your afraid of needles, aren't you?" she asked gently. Eric nodded in response.

"Go ahead laugh its okay," he said softly.

"I'm not going to laugh I'm afraid of them to," she admitted.

"You are?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, what I do when I have to get stuck is to think of something else, focus on something or someone else. So what I want you to do is focus on my face not the needle, okay?" Calleigh prompted.

"Okay," he said softly.

"We're here as well," Speed said.

"We aren't leaving," Horatio promised.

"MMM, kay," Eric mumbled as he forced his eyes away from the long sharp needle the nurse held in her hand to Calleigh's face.

"That's it, just keep focusing on me. Keep it up, your doing good." Calleigh continued to talk trying to distract her friend. She worked very hard not to wince in pain when the needle pierced her skin and succeeded for the most part.

"There we go, all done," Mindy said as she placed a band-aid on the spot. After placing the stopper on the tube and scrawling Calleigh's name and birth date on it she moved to where Eric was sitting and began the process again.

The slight bit of calm that had settled over Eric evaporated the moment the nurse reached his side. Moving from her chair Calleigh walked over to Eric's other side and clasped his hand in hers.

"Relax, Eric," she whispered.

"I'm t-t-trying," he stammered as he gripped her hand tightly. Reaching out with the hand that wasn't holding on to Eric's Calleigh picked up his cell phone that was lying on the desk and took it off speaker.

"Horatio, Tim?" she asked into the phone.

"We're still here, we're on speaker," Speed answered.

"Okay, I've taken you two off speaker and am going to put the phone up to Eric's ear so he can hear your voice, okay?" she questioned.

"Go ahead, Cal," Horatio said. Nodding Calleigh did just that.

"They want to talk to you," she said to Eric as she held the phone to his ear.

"Okay," he whispered beginning to breathe faster.

"Squeeze my hand and keep looking at my face," Calleigh whispered. Nodding Eric did both of those things.

"Eric, focus on our voices not the needle. We're lying in bed snuggled up together. It's a lazy Saturday and we don't have to go into work," Speed began.

"The sun's shining through the bedroom window, and it's glinting off yours and Speed's faces which is amazing," Horatio continued.

"Horatio and I lean in and start trailing gentle kisses across your forehead and cheeks waking you."

"You beg us to kiss you on the lips, but we don't," Horatio added.

"Finally we do," Speed concluded.

"We're all done, you did fantastic, Eric," Mindy complimented.

"You're done, really? I didn't even feel it," Eric said in awe. Calleigh smiled she was glad that she and the guys had helped relax Eric enough that he didn't feel the stick.

"That's the idea," she said. Nodding Eric placed the phone back on speaker after thanking his lover's for helping him relax.

"Anytime," Horatio promised.

"Yep, anytime," Speed responded.

"I'll get these to the lab right away," Mindy said holding up the two tubes of blood as she backed out the door.

"About how long until the results are back?" Eric wondered.

"They should be back in a couple of days. We'll call you and let you know what the results are. Assuming everything looks okay which I'm confident it will we'll set up an appointment to get a sample from Eric then we'll set up an appointment to get a sample from Calleigh," Karen answered.

"I'm assuming you've talked about expenses and such?" she asked addressing the entire group.

"Yes, we have, ma'am. We've agreed to split the costs in half," Horatio informed her.

"Very good, well then unless any of you have any questions we're done for now. Someone from the office will call you with the results in a couple of days. None of them had any more questions so the appointment ended and Horatio and Speed hung up to get back to work even though all they wanted to do was go home to their lover. Calleigh and Eric were beaming from ear-to-ear as they left the office.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Eric said in awe.

"I know me either," Calleigh replied.

"Thank you again," Eric said.

"Eric, there's no need to thank me. I've always wanted to have a baby, but have never found the right guy. This situation gives me the chance to have the baby I've always wanted and give you guys the same thing," she said as tears of happiness filled her eyes.

"I'm glad we can help you find happiness as well," Eric whispered in her ear as he pulled his best friend in for a hug. Calleigh's stomach grumbled startling them both.

"Hungry much?" Eric teased.

"Yeah I guess I am," Calleigh answered rubbing her grumbling stomach.

"Well then let's go to lunch, my treat," Eric said.

"You don't have to buy me lunch, Eric," Calleigh argued.

"Let me do it this once, you can buy next time," he compromised.

"It's a deal," she agreed.

"Great, let's go," Eric said as he held open the door for Calleigh allowing her to go out into the bright sunny day just ahead of him.

They were sitting at a table in a diner enjoying their lunch when a thought struck Calleigh.

"Have yall told Alexx what's going on?"

"Yeah we told her a couple of days ago," he said, remembering the conversation.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"To what do I owe this rare lunch with three of my favorite people?" Alexx asked as she, Speed, Horatio, and Eric sat around a table at a Chinese restaurant.

"We have something to tell you. We wanted Calleigh to be here as well but she had to testify this morning," Horatio said.

"Tell me what, Horatio?"

"We've decided to try and have children," Speed said with a smile.

"Cal's agreed to be our surrogate," Eric explained. Alexx's eyes lit up as what they had just told her sank in.

"That's wonderful news. I'm so happy for all of you," she said as a broad smile split her face.

"Thank you, Alexx," Horatio said modestly.

"When's your first appointment?"

"Calleigh and I have our first appointment two days from now," Eric told her.

"You and Cal will make a gorgeous baby. Lord help you when he or she starts dating," Alexx commented. All three men's eyes widened at the idea of their child dating. Alexx laughed out loud at the looks of horror on their faces.

"Relax, you've got a few years until that happens, but seriously I'm happy for all of you. I'll help with anything I can," she promised.

"Thanks, Alexx," Speed said.

"You're quite welcome," she replied flashing him a brilliant smile before picking up her fork and continuing to eat reflecting on all the wonderful changes that had taken place throughout the lab in the last year or so.

TBC?

A/n, Thanks for reviewing, please continue!


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Needless to say she was happy for us," Eric said finishing his story.

"Did she you warn yall about locking the baby up if it's a girl when she's old enough to date?" Calleigh asked cheekily. The pained look on Eric's face said enough.

"I can't even think about her dating," Eric said.

"She'll be fine, with you three as fathers she'll be well loved and any guy she ever considers to date will be ran through the system first." He was about to protest but he knew she was right.

"Okay, your right," he admitted softly.

"I wish I could have been there when you told Alexx," Calleigh said regretfully.

"I know, but she understands," Eric assured.

"Yeah I know she understands. Still I would have love to have been there, but because I was stuck in court again yesterday," Calleigh said making a face.

"Yeah, but your testimony nailed his ass to the wall," Eric argued.

"Yeah, that's true," she agreed. The rest of the meal was eaten in companionable silence as they basked in the warmth of their friendship and the adventure they were about to embark on.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review. Thanks to the select few of you who have. Please keep it up and encourage your friends to do the same. Sorry for the extreme shortness of this chapter but that's how it fell.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

A/n, This is a smutty chapter for your viewing pleasure. Please read and review.

Walking into a silent house for the third evening in a row was very disappointing for Eric. He'd talked to the two guys that morning and they had finally made some progress and got a promising lead. They were hoping to have the perp caught by the next day so they could come home but it wasn't soon enough for Eric. He was tired of being alone in their bed. It was much too big for one person. Not to mention he never slept as well without his lovers next to him. Toeing off his shoes he made his way into the kitchen opening the refrigerator trying to decide what he wanted to have for dinner. Just as he was getting out a pan to cook some Macaroni and Cheese to go with his hamburger his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey, Eric, it's me," came Calleigh's voice.

"Hey what's up, Cal?"

"I just got a message from the doctor's office. They apologized for not getting back to us sooner but they've been busy."

"Yeah and?" he asked anxiously.

"The blood work came back fine. We're both perfectly healthy," she said beaming. A matching smile crossed Eric's face.

"That's wonderful," he exclaimed.

"Yes it is," she commented.

"I'll let the guys know things look good and we can set up the next appointment," Eric told her.

"Okay, let me know when you've talked to them and we can schedule it," she said.

"Will do," he said just as the timer buzzed indicating his Mac and Cheese was done.

"Well I'll let you go eat dinner, talk to you later, Eric," she said.

"Bye, have a good evening, Calleigh," he said.

"You two, Eric," she responded as she hung up and headed into her own kitchen to make dinner as well.

The house was locked up and all the lights were out when Eric's cell phone rang. He had just gotten settled into bed when it rang. He smiled because he knew it would be his lovers calling for their goodnight conversation. His smile widened and became predatory as the plan he had for this conversation ran through his head. He could feel the beginnings of arousal moving through him.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey, babe, how are you?" Speed asked.

"I'm good, tired but good. Cal called earlier and said the doctor called and said all the lab work looks good. Now all we need to do is talk to Calleigh and figure out when we want to schedule the next appointment."

"Okay, we can look at the calendar when we get home to figure it out," Horatio said.

"Maybe we can schedule it around lunch so we can all be there," Tim suggested.

"MMM hmm, how's the case going?" Eric wanted to know.

"It's going great we should be home by sometime tomorrow," Horatio said.

"I'm glad to hear that it's way to quiet without you here and I'm very lonely," Eric whispered in a husky voice. He could hear Speed's breath hitch at the change in Eric's voice.

"What's the matter, Tim?" Eric teased. Horatio smiled he'd caught on to the seductive edge in Eric's voice.

"N-n-nothing," Speed answered in a slightly strangled voice. Horatio glanced over at his lover and noticed his erection beginning to stir causing him to smile.

"I was thinking we could have a little bit of fun," Eric said flirtatiously.

"MMM, I like that idea," Horatio crooned into the phone lying between him and Speed.

"Here's how this is going to work," Eric instructed. "You two do what I tell you to when I tell you to. I call the shots, do you understand?"

"Y-y-yes," Speed moaned at the lust that shot through him. Leaning forward he captured Horatio's mouth in a kiss. Both of them moaned into the kiss. A clearing of a throat stopped them and they reluctantly pulled apart.

"I see this is going to be difficult for yall to listen and follow rules, isn't it?" Eric said.

"Sorry," both guys mumbled.

"Okay, let's try this again. What are you wearing?" Eric questioned.

"We're both wearing boxers and a t-shirt," Horatio answered.

"Take them off each other and let your hands run over your chests and stomachs. Your mouths to," Eric said.

"What are you wearing?" Speed asked as he pulled Horatio's t-shirt over his head before raising his arms to let Horatio do the same thing to him.

"The same thing you two are," Eric answered.

"Take yours off to," Horatio commanded.

"Do the same things you've told us to do, Eric," Speed whispered huskily. Eric moaned at the images filling his head and the arousal running through him as he removed his t-shirt and allowed his hands to run over his chest and stomach. A low moan escaped his lips when he licked his index finger then placed it on first his right nipple then moved to the left one.

"What are you doing, Eric?" Horatio questioned.

"I'm taking my nipples between my index and middle finger and my index finger was just put in my mouth. Oh it feels so good, but I wish it was you and Tim with your mouths on my chest," he panted.

"K-k-kiss each other," Eric said softly.

"MMM, gladly," Speed said as he pulled Horatio in for a kiss.

"MMM, You've been teaching him that tongue thing that you do, haven't you, Eric?" Horatio panted as they pulled apart breathless a moment later.

"MMM, hmm," Eric murmured knowing the sound of his voice would arouse his lovers even more. Needing to feel his lover again Speed pulled the older man closer to him and devoured his mouth. Meanwhile he was grinding their forming erections against each other.

"Tim..." Horatio moaned. Knowing the tone for what it was Eric could feel himself start to harden.

"I want you to make each other come," he growled as he kicked off his own boxers and took his throbbing cock into his hand. For the next few moments all that could be heard were moans of pleasure and hands moving up and down slick skin. Horatio stopped pleasuring Speed long enough to speak.

"W-w-why did you stop?" Speed whined.

"I need to ask you a question. What do you say we tell Eric what we hid before we left earlier this week?" he suggested.

"MMM, what?" Eric panted through half-lidded eyes as he masturbated.

"Oh, yes I believe we should," Speed agreed.

"What you guys talking about?" Eric wondered.

"Go look in the top dresser drawer," Horatio told him. Nodding Eric did just what he was told. His cock hardened when he pulled out the dildo he found nestled in the drawer.

"When did you get this?" Eric asked.

"The day they called us and told us our rapist had struck in Orlando. We knew we'd be gone for at least a day so we thought we'd leave you with a going away present," Tim explained.

"But it was in a place I would have never looked," Eric protested.

"Oh once we knew we were going to be gone again tonight we were going to tell you to look for it, but you beat us to the punch on starting the conversation," Horatio explained.

"Now, imagine us we're sitting next to you making love as we hungrily watch you fuck yourself with the dildo. Do you like that image?" Speed crooned.

"Oh fuck yes," Eric moaned.

"Get the lube out of the nightstand and prepare yourself," Horatio instructed.

"Okay, will do," Eric said as he pulled out the lube and placed it on the bed beside him. Carefully he flipped open the lid and squeezed a generous amount on to his hand and covered a finger with it before teasing it around his entrance then finally sliding it beyond the tight ring of muscle and into his tight channel. Eric whimpered as his finger slipped into his tight channel. Both Horatio and Tim moaned as Horatio began to prepare Tim.

"Oh fuck yes, Horatio," Tim cried thrusting back on Horatio's finger that was inside him.

"Are you preparing Tim, Horatio??" Eric asked on a strangled moan.

"MMM, yeah," Speed replied as the lust enveloped him.

"He's so hot and tight I can't wait to plunge my hard and throbbing cock into his tight little ass," Horatio said.

"I wish I was their to watch this not just hear it over the phone," Eric lamented. He began to slide the finger that was inside him in and out at a faster pace. "I need more," he whimpered.

"Insert another finger," Horatio said.

"Oh god, yes," Eric said. After pumping two fingers in and out a few times he decided he needed to add a third one to the mix so he did. That resulted in him instantly hitting his prostate.

"Fuck!" he shouted as his fingers brushed that bundle of nerves.

"You just hit your prostate, didn't you?" Horatio gasped out.

"Yes, put another finger into Speed how many does that make?" Eric questioned.

"It makes three," Horatio said as he stretched his fingers searching for that certain spot. Speed arched off the bed as his prostate was stroked.

"Horatio! Fuck fuck! Oh fuck!" he shouted.

"I have three fingers in me, but that's not enough I need more, please can I have more?" Eric pleaded. The hand that wasn't deep inside him was furiously stroking his cock pushing him higher and higher in terms of arousal.

"Lube up the dildo and slide it into that tight little ass of yours," Speed commanded. Eric's breath quickened as the dildo slid all the way in.

"Oh, this feels so good," he exclaimed.

"MMM, that's what we were hoping for," Horatio said. Deciding to take some control back Eric gave the next order.

"Horatio, I want you to make love to Tim. Make love to him until he's screaming out your name."

"I'd be happy to," the redhead answered. Slowly he slid a condom on to his achingly hard cock and teased it at Speed's entrance.

"Don't teas, H," Speed whined. Eric chuckled but the chuckle changed to a gasp as the dildo brushed his prostate.

"Stop teasing him, Horatio," Eric told him.

"Fine, if you say so," Horatio responded as he pushed into his lover in one hard thrust.

"Horatio!" Speed shouted. Horatio continued to pump in and out of his lover just as Eric slid the dildo in and out of his hot tight channel. Speed was whimpering in pleasure as he began stroking his cock furiously.

"Are you touching yourself?" he asked Eric. Eric realized he'd stop touching himself to listen to his lover's love making.

"N-no I'm not," he answered. "I was so involved in listening to you two make love.

"Touch yourself, touch that hard hot cock of yours, how does it feel?" Speed whispered huskily. Reaching out a hand Eric tightly gripped his cock then let one hand slide up and down its heated flesh.

"Oh fuck yes! It's throbbing and so hard it hurts. God I wish you guys were here. I wish you were touching me and licking it not me." Reaching the head he scraped his fingernails across it causing a rush of heat to run from his spine to his groin.

"Oooooo!" he moaned.

"P-p-pull the dildo all the way out then slam it back in," Horatio stammered as he did the same motion as he slid out and thrust back into Speed hard and fast. Identical moans came from all three men at the same time.

"Keep it up," Eric demanded as he continued to slide the dildo in and out as hard and as fast as he could. He could feel the heat building at the base of his spine and he began to make a high keening sound that alerted his lovers to just how close to coming he was.

"Keep jacking yourself off, at the same time slide the dildo out one more time then slam it back in as hard and fast as you can. Angle it so it hits your prostate," Speed panted. He could tell all three of them were closed to coming and he wanted Eric to come first because he was all alone.

"Oh fuck, gonna come, oh god yes, need to, can't hold it back much longer," Eric cried.

"Come for us, Eric," Horatio whispered as he fought to keep from coming before the Russian-Cuban. Eric began to pant heavily as his orgasm began to crash over him.

"Horatio! Tim! Oh fuck yes! I'm coming oh god yes feels so fuckin good! Fuuuuck!" Eric shouted as he came hard. At the sound of their lover orgasming both Horatio and Tim came, screaming each other's name. A couple minutes later all that could be heard was heavy breathing that was slowly returning to normal.

"Wow, what a way to have a phone conversation," Eric said with a lazy chuckle.

"MMM hmm," Speed agreed as he yawned.

"We love you and we'll see you tomorrow, Eric," Horatio said happily.

"Okay, I love you to, good night, sleep well."

"Good night you sleep well two, see you tomorrow," Speed said as he hung up the phone and snuggled in next to Horatio happy they were going home the next day. Eric hung up his phone and after cleaning himself up he climbed back into bed and fell asleep a smile on his facesmut. There's another chapter to come before more drama.. He got the best sleep he'd gotten in the three days Horatio and Speed had been gone and he knew they'd be back tomorrow and then he'd sleep better all around.

TBC?

A/n, Read and review! Hope you enjoy th


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

A/n, please read and review. Hope you enjoy the smut.

"I'm glad it's Saturday and it's not Eric's weekend to work," Horatio said as he pulled the car into their driveway.

"Yeah, me to," Speed agreed. Looking at the house he noticed that all the lights were still out. "Looks like he's still sleeping."

"MMM hmm, he probably is. Last night was probably the best sleep he's gotten since we've been gone. We had trouble sleeping and we still had each other. Imagine what it was like for him having to sleep in our big bed all alone," Horatio sympathized.

"I guess that's true," Speed commented. Climbing out of the car the two of them grabbed their bags and made their way as silently to the front door of their house as they could. Quietly Horatio placed the key in the lock and gently opened the door. Both men breathed a sigh of relief when the sound hadn't appeared to wake their lover. After dropping their bags in the foyer to be dealt with later they made their way to the bedroom. Before they could get their however, Speed pushed Horatio against the wall and shoved his tongue down his throat. While he was doing so he pulled his shirt out of his pants and began to unbutton it. Finally he'd managed to unbutton all the buttons and he pushed the shirt off the redhead's shoulders. Taking the hint Horatio slipped out of the shirt and let it slip to the floor. Then he grabbed Speed and kissed him with a ferocity that left him breathless. While he was doing a full tonsil search he was pulling on Speed's shirt urging it upwards. Breathlessly they pulled apart and Speed lifted his arms so Horatio could pull the shirt over his head.

"MMM need you so much, Tim," Horatio breathed.

"Me, to," Tim replied as he dove back in for another kiss. Simultaneously they reached for each others pants. While they were pulling them down their legs they managed to toe off their shoes while locked in another intense kiss without falling over. Finally they were left in their boxers which they kicked off as they entered the bedroom. They were ready to have a wonderful welcome home celebration.

"Awww," Speed whispered when he saw their lover. Eric was sprawled across the bed on his back and he had a hand on each of their pillows. He'd apparently decided not to get dressed after their little phone conversation because he was completely naked which was a sight that neither Horatio or Speed would ever get tired of seeing. The sun shown in through the window catching Eric's dark skin in it's rays. A low moan from his partner had Tim turning to look quizzically at him. He could see his erection hardening and Horatio was gently stroking it.

"On three?" Horatio whispered. Speed nodded he was just as aroused by the sight as Horatio was. Holding up first one finger Horatio counted tem off. By the time they got to three they had taken their spots on the bed one on each side of their lover. Horatio started trailing kisses down the right side of Eric's face and Tim was on the left. They started at his forehead and slowly trailed their lips down across his eyes to his nose across to his cheeks and finally they both reached his lips. At this point Eric was slowly starting to wake up but not completely.

"MMM, Horatio, Tim," he mumbled still mostly asleep. He thought he was dreaming. Deciding to wake him up a bit quicker Speed left his lips leaving them for Horatio as he moved down and began licking and gently biting Eric's hardening nipples. Eric's eyes shot open as he felt Speed's hot mouth envelope one of his rock hard nipples and trail his tongue over it before biting down gently. It took a second but he finally registered what he was seeing and feeling. His two lovers were home and they were arousing him and doing a very good job of it.

"Hey," he rasped out.

"MMM, hey," Speed mumbled against his chest causing him to moan.

"Good morning, Eric," Horatio said as he plunged his tongue into Eric's awaiting mouth. Speed shifted so Horatio could have a turn at Eric's very hard nipples while he moved farther south seeking a specific present.

"Look what I found," he breathed as he came face-to-face with Eric's very hard cock. Precum was leaking from the tip and he dipped a finger in the slit before placing it in his mouth and licking it clean.

"Tim!" Eric shouted jerking off the bed.

"Easy, Eric," Horatio crooned as he slid his tongue across one nipple then the other and back again. Eric was whimpering in need.

"Tell me what you want," Speed whispered as he blew on the tip of Eric's cock.

"You to fuck me with your mouth. Oh god, yes, let me feel your hot wet mouth on me, please," he begged.

"Well just because you asked so nicely," Speed said as he deep throated Eric in one thrust. Horatio continued to alternate between kissing Eric soundly on the mouth and kissing all down his chest. At one point Horatio shifted positions so his hard and leaking cock was right next to Eric's face.

"MMM," he moaned.

"See something you like?" panted the redhead.

"MMM hmm," Eric murmured as he took just the tip into his mouth teasing Horatio. Horatio whimpered and bucked farther into Eric's mouth. Chuckling Eric took him more fully into his mouth and began to fuck him in earnest.

"MMM, fuck yes! Keep doing that," Horatio panted. Eric smiled as he teased the underside of the head and just barely let his teeth graze that spot.

"Fuck!" Horatio shouted as he bucked into Eric's mouth. Tim moaned as he saw his two lovers engaging in their activities. The moan reminded Eric that his cock was down Speed's throat and what a nice feeling it was. The moan sent sparks of lust straight through Eric and he jerked his hips up thrusting deeper into Tim's inviting mouth. Taking Eric's balls into his hand Tim could tell he was close to coming. They were drawn up tight and very heavy. Eric tore his mouth away from Horatio's cock long enough to give a shout of pleasure before diving back in. He continued to moan drawing Horatio even closer to his release. Tim's cock on the other hand was throbbing painfully and he hadn't even touched it. He could feel Eric start to shake indicating he was close to his release. An evil smile crossed Speed's face as he reached down with the hand that wasn't fondiling Eric's balls and squeezed the base of his cock to stop him from coming. A frustrated growl escaped Eric at the fact that he couldn't come even though he desperately needed to.

"Damn it Tim! I need to come," he growled in frustration.

"Not yet, babe. I'm not done with you yet," Tim crooned as he drug the nails of the hand holding Eric's cock across the underside causing the younger man to hiss in a mix of pleasure and pain.

"D-d-do you two have any idea how hot you look?" Horatio panted. Eric was still sucking him off like he was a lollie pop. Shifting so he could reach his lover's ass Speed let out a low moan as his very hard cock brushed against the sheets giving it some needed friction. Both men looked over at the sound. Without removing his mouth from the redhead's cock Eric jerked his head first at Horatio then at Speed giving him a silent order.

"MMM, don't mind if I do," Horatio stuttered as he took Speed's cock into his hand.

"It's so hard it's like steel. MMM, what a nice piece of equipment," he crooned as he teased the slit.

"Oh Horatio," Tim moaned as he felt the hands of his lover travel expertly up and down his cock. Reluctantly he removed his hand from the base of Eric's cock to reach for the lube that was on the corner of the bed. Horatio's eyes moved to him when he heard the lid snap open but Eric was too lost in sensation to notice what was going on until he felt a slicked finger at his entrance and slipping in. He thrust back on Speed's finger at the same time he fucked Horatio's cock with more intensity causing Horatio to speed up his strokes on Speed's cock as well. All three men moaned as white hot lust shot through them. After he was certain that Eric was stretched as much as he could be with one finger speed slipped first one then another into his tight channel. The reaction was instantanious. Eric began thrusting furiously up and down on Speed's fingers seeking release. The movement caused Horatio's cock to nearly slip completely out of Eric's warm wet mouth before sliding back in.

"Fuck Tim, I need more," Eric whimpered.

"Well then let's see what we can do about that," Tim said with a smirk. Curling his fingers Speed searched for that one spot. He grinned when he found it and his lover began babbling incoherently. He continued to press on it until he had Eric on the edge of his orgasm. Right as he was about to shoot his load down Speed's throat, however, Speed pressed his finger against Eric's prostate while grabbing the base of his cock so his orgasm was a dry one. He had the affects of the orgasm but didn't reach the release, arousing him farther. He continued this motion until Eric was pleading for him to stop that it was too much. Speed didn't do that, though. Instead he grabbed the dildo that was also discarded on the edge of the bed and gave his lover's a lascivious smile. Catching Horatio's eye he fingered the little switch that was at the top that Eric obviously hadn't found last night. Once he'd placed a generous amount of lube on the dildo he removed his fingers from the other man's entrance producing a whimper of protest.

"Shh, just relax," Speed crooned as he eased the dildo inside his lover. Eric's breath quickened when he realized that Speed was using the dildo.

"D-d-don't tease, I n-n-need to come and I need to come now!" Eric cried almost begging.

"There's one thing about the dildo you haven't figured out yet," Horatio breathed.

"W-w-what's that?" Eric choked out around the throbbing cock he had in his mouth.

"This," Speed answered as he flipped the switch and the dildo began vibrating. He plunged it in and out of Eric at a brutal pace making sure to hit his prostate everytime.

"Fuck!" Eric cried. Moving from Eric's cock for a brief moment, Tim took in a deep breath before returning to the painfully hard and throbbing organ and hollowing out his cheeks as much as he could and sucking hard just as he thrust the dildo against Eric's prostate one last time. This time he didn't stop the orgasm that began ripping through his lover. The orgasm was so intense Eric could only open his mouth no sound came out. He sped up his sucking of Horatio's cock and before Eric's orgasm had finished Horatio was coming down his throat. Tim had forgotten momentarily that Horatio was jacking him off until he felt his hand brush the head and he felt himself start to lose it.

"Fuck! Yes, don't stop Horatio oh fuck yes!" he shouted as he came. He continued to suck Eric dry and pump the dildo in and out of him as his own orgasm ripped through him. Much to Eric's surprise Speed's ministrations triggered another orgasm.

"Fuck!" Eric shouted as he came for the second time in less than two minutes. He was shaking and so aroused that he blacked out. It took Horatio and Tim a moment to come to their senses. Once they did they collapsed next to their lover. It was then that Speed realized Eric had blacked out.

"He's out," he whispered in awe.

"Well as close to the edge as you pushed him and you made him have one dry orgasm and two orgasms where he came all in the span of five minutes I'd probably pass out to," Horatio said.

"MMM, true," Speed whispered as he kissed Eric's eyelashes.

"C'mon open those brown eyes for me," he coaxed. Slowly Eric's lashes fluttered and he opened heavy-lidded eyes to stare in a hazey lust at his two lovers.

"You okay, Eric?" Horatio asked gently.

"MMM, wow, welcome home," Eric mumbled as he smiled a lazy smile before reaching out an arm for each of the two men. Both of them moved happily towards him and curled up against him.

"It's good to be home," Horatio mumbled placing a kiss on the top of Eric's head.

"MMM hmm," Speed agreed also placing a kiss on Eric's head.

"If that's the welcome home I get every time you go away, maybe the two of you should go away more often," Eric said cheekily.

"MMM, maybe, but I'd rather stay here with you instead," Horatio said.

"Yeah it's more fun getting to have our wicked way with you whenever we want," Speed interjected. Eric laughed at his lovers.

"Go to sleep, to early," Eric mumbled from between them. Glancing at the clock Horatio chuckled.

"It's not early it's noon."

"Well I'm tired so let's sleep," Eric replied.

"Okay I guess sleep does sound like a good plan," Speed said as he let his eyes drift close.

"Well if your sleeping then I guess I can to," Horatio teased as his eyes began to close as well. The three of them fell into a restful sleep glad that they were all back where they belonged, with each other.

TBC?

A/n, another smutty chapter for your viewing pleasure. A couple more chapters more chapter of fun before the drama sets in. Please read and review.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"Looks like someone got some lovin' this weekend," Calleigh teased as she saw Eric walk into the break room Monday morning.

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Well by the way your walking, you look a bit sore, my dear. Also the hickie that's on your neck. That's kind of a dead giveaway." Eric's eyes widened he hadn't realized his lovers had left a love bite on his neck.

"What hickie?" he questioned. Reaching into her purse Calleigh pulled out her compact and handed it to her friend. Holding the mirror up to his face Eric tilted his head back so he could get a look at his neck. A blush tented his cheeks as he saw the bright red mark on the left side of his neck.

"I'm gonna kill them," he said as he hid his face in his hands.

"No, don't worry about it, the mark just proves your taken and that who your with is very possessive," Calleigh said.

"Everyone knows I'm taken so what does it matter?"

"You haven't seen the looks the new lab tech has been giving you, have you?"

"What kind of looks?"

"The kind that say she'd love nothing more than to have a night with you."

"Well she can hope all she wants but that will never happen," Speed said as he walked into the break room and placed an arm around Eric's shoulders. Calleigh smiled this just proved her point.

"What will never happen?" Horatio asked coming up beside Speed.

"The new lab tech having Eric to herself for a night," Speed told him.

"No, it won't, your mine and Speed's just as we're yours and each others," Horatio said. Eric nodded in agreement as he smiled.

"Eric told us the blood work came back good and we looked at the calendar. Can you see if we can do the appointment next Thursday around 12:00? Does that work for you?" Speed asked Calleigh.

"Yeah, I'll call Dr. Johnston's office and schedule it." Reaching in her purse she pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"Dr. Johnston's office this is Carrie, how may I help you?"

"Hi, Carrie, this is Calleigh Duquesne I'm calling to schedule the next appointment for the process of me being a surrogate for Horatio Eric and Tim. We were wondering if there was an appointment open around 12:00 next Thursday?"

"Hold on, let me check the computer. Ah yes, it looks like there is one for 11:45 will that work?"

"Will 11:45 work?" All three men nodded so Calleigh turned back to the phone to answer the question.

"Yes, that will work just fine."

"Very good then we have you down for 11:45 next Thursday. See you then."

"Bye, see you then," Calleigh said as she hung up.

"Now that we've taken care of that here are your assignments. It appears that today is a very busy day for murder so we're all working solo. He continued talking handing out the various cases to his team. "Okay, let's get to work, we'll meet up for lunch to discuss the cases and what needs to happen," Horatio instructed. Nodding the others grabbed their case files and headed for the door.

"The crazies are out in full force today," Speed commented as they sat around the break room table eating lunch and discussing the current case load.

"I agree, here's hoping we all solve our cases quickly," Calleigh added.

"Do any of you have any promising leads?" Horatio inquired. They all shook their heads.

"It's going to be a long week," Eric complained.

"MMM hmm," Horatio agreed.

"Not all the cases can be solved instantly or even at all unfortunately," Alexx interjected as she walked into the break room.

"Hi, what can we do for you, Alexx?" Horatio asked.

"I've just finished the autopsy on your victim, Cal. Originally I thought the water in her lungs from being left in the pool was what killed her but after further examination it was the gunshot to the back of her head that killed her."

"So putting her in the pool was a cover?" Calleigh hypothesized.

"Hmm, it's possible," Speed replied.

"Do you have the bullet for me?" Calleigh questioned the medical examiner.

"Yeah it's down in the morgue. You can get it after you finish lunch," Alexx answered.

"Well I've just finished so I'll go down and get it if you don't mind?"

"Of course not, c'mon."

"Well maybe at least one of us will be able to solve their case sooner rather than later," Eric said.

"Yeah maybe," Horatio murmured. Alexx who had followed Calleigh out the door poked her head back in.

"Oh, I almost forgot we're having a barbeque this weekend and your all invited."

"Thanks we'll be there," Speed said with a smile.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Eric said with a smile. Horatio nodded in agreement. Barbeques at Alexx's house were always a lot of fun.

"Who alls going to be there?" Speed asked.

"Besides you guys and Calleigh and my husband and kids? Well let's see, Yelina and Ray Jr. Adel, Frank, and Valera, I think that's everyone," she said counting on her fingers.

"Sounds like a party," Eric responded.

"That's the plan," Alexx said as she turned and headed down the hall to give the bullet to Calleigh for her to analyze.

A knock on the door of the ballistics lab made Calleigh jump.

"Didn't mean to startle you, ma'am. I was just checking on your case," Horatio said.

"It's alright. I have good news. I found a hit in IBIS the gun is registered to a man named Derek Rogers. This is where it gets strange, though."

"Strange how?"

"Well, he was arrested for first degree assault three days ago and is currently in the custody of Miami Dade county in a 6by 9 jail cell," Calleigh explained. Removing his sunglasses Horatio let them dangle from his fingers as he placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side.

"So, how does his gun end up in our murder investigation when he's in jail?"

"I don't know I'm still working on that. The officer who searched him said it wasn't in his possession so it's likely that someone else has it now."

"Hmm, probably, check his known associates and family and see if you can track any of them down. Maybe they have it now."

"That's what I'm working on. Frank's bringing in two of the guys he associated with as well as his brother." Just as she was speaking her phone chimed, indicating a message. Opening it she quickly read it.

"Frank's here with my suspects. If you'll excuse me."

"Of course," Horatio said as he moved aside to let her pass before moving back down the hall to check on the results from his own case before checking on the progress of his lovers.

TBC?

A/n, R/R! Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. Please keep it up.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The sounds of giggling children could be heard from the backyard as the three guys stood on the porch of Alexx's house waiting for someone to open the door. Just then Alexx's husband Denis opened the door and greeted them.

"Good afternoon, how are you guys?"

"We're good and you?" Eric asked.

"I'm doing great your the last to arrive. Everyones in the backyard. Brian and Janie are playing with little Shelly Tripp." A smile crossed Horatio's lips. Shelly Rene Sevilla-Tripp was the best thing that could have ever happened to Adel or Frank. They had been dating for a year before Adel found out she was pregnant. Michelle "Shelly" Rene Sevilla-Tripp was born nine months later and Adel and Frank were married later that summer. She was now two and she had no fear. This of course was giving her parents all kinds of gray hair.

"Sounds like fun," Speed said as they followed Denis through the house and out into the backyard. An excited squeal came from the kids when they saw them. They had a soft spot for the three male CSI's and the three of them had just as soft of a spot for them.

"'Unca 'Ratio!" Shelly yelled as she ran as fast as her little legs would carry her over to her favorite uncle. Kneeling down Horatio caught the girl and lifted her into his arms with ease. Placing a kiss on her cheek, he said,

"How's my little princess today?"

"Good, go 'wimmin wif me?" she pleaded staring at him with her large eyes.

"You want me to go swimming with you?" he clarified. She bobbed her head up and down in excitement.

"Yeah, come swimming with us, please Uncle Horatio?" Ray Jr. begged. Brian and Janie turned identical looks of pleading on the redhead. Horatio's stomach grumbled making Shelly laugh.

"Your tummy's talkin to you," she giggled.

"Why yes it is," he responded as he smiled. "I tell you what; I'll go swimming with you after lunch how does that sound?"

"Yeah!" shouted all the kids.

"Will you swim with us to, Uncle Eric, Uncle Speed?" Brian asked. Both men nodded causing the boy to smile widely. Shelly wiggled in a request to be put down. Horatio placed her gently on her feet and she toddled off to play Barbie's with Janie who was just a few years older than her.

"Be gentle she's littler than you are," Alexx warned.

"Yes I know, Mommy. You tell me that everytime," she said exasperatedly. The other adults laughed at the scene between mother and daughter.

"Food's ready," Denis called as he turned from the grill. Everyone hurried over and grabbed a plate and began filling it. Conversation was flowing nicely when Horatio raised his hand requesting silence. The conversation died down when everyone saw his raised hand.

"What is it, Horatio?" Yelina asked. Horatio looked at the rest of his team who smiled back at him. They'd talked and decided that the barbeque was a good time to announce their impending parenthood.

"Calleigh, Eric, Speed and I have an announcement to make," he said.

"What kind of announcement?" Adel asked.

"We've decided to have children and Calleigh's agreed to be our surrogate," Horatio answered. There was a full moment of silence before everyone began talking at once.

"That's wonderful I'm so happy for you."

"You'll make excellent fathers."

"I get to be an aunt now."

"When is the baby due?" This last question came from Valera.

"Well we're in the beginning stages of the process. They hope to implant the embryo in the next couple of weeks," Calleigh answered. Everyone was smiling and rushed forward to give the three men and Calleigh hugs.

"Which one of you will be having the baby with Calleigh?" Adel wondered.

"I will," Eric said beaming. Yelina and Valera both fanned themselves.

"That's going to be one gorgeous baby," Valera breathed.

"MMM hmm," Yelina agreed. All the men shook their heads while all the women laughed. Noticing that the three men had finished eating lunch, the children started in on begging them to swim. After a bit of coaxing they agreed.

"Here, let's get your water wings and some sunscreen on you, sweet pee," Frank said lifting his daughter into his arms and carrying her over to a deck chair. She sat still for a moment while her father inflated her water wings and her float ring before helping her into them then he began putting sunscreen on her making sure to rub it in thoroughly.

"Down, Daddy."

"Not yet, Shelly," he said as he rubbed a bit of sunscreen across her pink cheeks.

"Done yet?" she whined.

"Yes, I'm all done," he said as he placed her on her feet. "Go have fun," he said patting her on her bottom to send her on her way. Giggling she ran over to the pool and stopped at the side looking uncertainly into the water. Horatio could see her indecision and walked up to her.

"Would you like a piggy back ride, Shelly?" he asked gallantly.

"Yes, pwease," she answered with a toothy grin.

"Okay, hop on and wrap your arms around my neck," he instructed as he squatted down so she could climb on his back.

"Otay," she said as she situated herself on Horatio's back. Standing up Horatio walked into the water and after reaching around and tickling the little girl on his back he eased her into the water. They briefly engaged in a light splashing war causing both of them to laugh. Knowing that her water wings and the floaty ring she was sitting in would protect her and keep her safe he let her float a little ways in front of him. Brian and Ray Jr. conned him into joining a game of keep-away with a beach ball. Janie was teaching Shelly how to blow bubbles much to the delight of the toddler. Eric and Speed jumped into the water to join the fun. Eric was pulled into the keep-away game and Speed began playing with the girls.

Calleigh, Valera, Alexx, Adel, and Yelina were sitting in lounge chairs drinking tall glasses of lemonade chatting amongst themselves. Frank and Denis were cleaning up and talking about the current football season and how the Miami Dolphins were doing.

"They're going to make excellent fathers," Valera said as she watched Speed brush some hair out of Shelly's face.

"MMM hmm," Alexx agreed.

"Are you happy about having a baby and being a surrogate for them?" Adel asked.

"Yes, I am. I've always wanted a baby and who better to have a baby with and share a family with than your best friend?" Calleigh said with a smile.

"The baby and any subsequent children will deffinitly be loved," Yelina said with a smile.

"That's for sure," Valera added.

"Any fears?" Adel asked.

"I'm just worried it won't work the first time," Calleigh quietly admitted.

"I'm assuming they did standard blood work?" Yelina confirmed.

"Yeah, and all that came back healthy, but that's not a guarantee that it'll happen the first time. I'm worried what it'll do to the three of them, but especially Eric. I know they all want children but I think he wants it most of all. Horatio and Tim told me that he did extensive research before he even brought it up to them," Calleigh confessed.

"Wow," Valera breathed.

"I can definitly say that this will be an experience none of you will ever forget," Adel said with a soft smile as she reflected on her own pregnancy with Shelly.

Just then their attention was drawn back to the pool and the commotion that was going on. Speed was holding a crying Shelly with Janie standing next to him trying to comfort her and Brian and Ray Jr. were pointing fingers at each other.

"What's going on here?" Alexx asked in her most stern don't-mess-with-me-I'm-mom-voice. Any explanation was haulted when Shelly who was still crying held out her arms from her place in Speed's arms and called out for her favorite uncle.

"Unca 'Ratio," she sniffled. Moving forward Horatio reached out and took the crying girl into his arms and began rubbing her back. Slowly he made his way to the side of the pool and climbed out.

"Shh, it's okay, your alright, sweetheart. It's okay," he soothed. Adel moved over to where her daughter was being held in the lieutenants arms.

"Do you want me to take her?" she asked softly.

"Don't worry about it, I've got her," he said as he settled on a deck chair with the little girl lying on his chest.

"Now, tell me what's going on," Alexx demanded.

"Brian and Ray were splashing each other and things got a little rough," Eric explained.

"Shelly got splashed in the face," Speed explained.

"Didn't I tell you to be careful around her?" Alexx scolded.

"Ray started it," Brian whined.

"I don't care who started it, I want you out of the pool for a little while, Brian Alexander and you'll apologize to Shelly," his mother commanded.

"That goes for you to, Ray," Yelina added. Both boys grumbled but knew they didn't have any other choice. Reluctantly they climbed out of the water and after apologizing to the little girl snuggled against Horatio's chest they went off to play a videogame. Scrambling out of the pool Janie took off after her brother.

"Play nice," Alexx called after them.

"We will," she called back. The sun shining down on them lulled Horatio and Shelly to sleep. Conversation happened all around them but neither of them woke up.

"Anyone need a refill?" Calleigh asked as she got up from her chair with her glass in her hand.

"Sure if you don't mind," Valera answered.

"No, not at all," she said beaming as she took the glass and headed into the kitchen to fill both glasses with more lemonade. She had just placed the pitcher back into the fridge when she saw Shelly's little face looking up at her.

"Hey there, baby, did you have a good nap?"

"Yes, gotta go potty," she said as she danced in place. Smiling Calleigh took the little girls hand in hers and took her to the bathroom. After she was done going potty Calleigh helped her wash her hands and helped her change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she found in the little girls diaper bag.

"You ready to go back outside?" Calleigh asked. Shelly nodded as she skipped to the door. Calleigh smiled as she saw Eric and Speed cuddled on one lawn chair with Frank standing over them with a can of whipped cream about to spray it all over their face. Just as the first glob of the cream hit Eric's face Calleigh's attention was brought back to the rest of the yard by Shelly's innocent question.

"Unca Ratio red why?" Calleigh turned puzzled eyes to where the little girl was pointing and she gasped. Covering her mouth her eyes widened. Her lieutenant was a bright red. He was sunburned on almost every part of his body. Moving over to him she placed a hand gently on his arm. Flinching he opened his eyes.

"Ow!" he moaned in pain.

"Don't touch so hard," he whined.

"I'm barely touching you, your sunburned and badly I might add," Calleigh explained. Calleigh's' gasp had drawn the attention of the others in the yard. Noticing the state of Horatio Frank managed to wake both Eric and Speed.

"MMM what?" Speed grumbled.

"Look over there," Frank instructed. Eric and Speed followed the homicide detectives finger and their eyes widened as they caught sight of there badly burned lover. As one they moved over to him and dropped down beside him.

"You forgot to put sunscreen on, didn't you?" Eric asked softly.

"I put it on when I got into the pool but I was distracted when I got out," he answered. Just then realizing his napping partner was no longer beside him Horatio scanned the yard until he spotted the little girl sitting in her mother's lap.

"Do you have any aloe Vera?" Speed asked turning to Alexx.

"Yeah it's in the bathroom I'll get it. It's going to take most of the bottle," Alexx said sympathetically. Ten minutes later Horatio was covered in the soothing gel and was beginning to feel a bit of relief.

"Here drink this, Horatio. You're probably a bit dehydrated and have gotten to much son," Yelina said placing a glass of Lemonade in his hand.

"Thanks, Yelina," he answered. The rest of the party went off without a hitch. Finally it was time for everyone to head home. Eric and Speed winced as they saw their lover climb into the passenger seat and his back touched the seat. A hiss of pain escaped Horatio's lips.

It was going to be a long few days until his sunburn healed.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Okay, now that the embryo is implanted now we have to wait and see if in fact Calleigh is pregnant. I'm going to prescribe you some prenatal vitamins so if you are the baby will be given nutrients right from the beginning. If you experience any health issues or any other concerns go to the ER or call me immediately," the doctor instructed.

"I will, don't worry," Calleigh promised. She couldn't believe this day was finally here and the embryo had been placed inside her. Broad smiles were on the faces of everyone in the room.

"We'll have a follow up appointment in a month to check if your pregnant if you don't determine that you are before then," the doctor said.

"If Calleigh's pregnant then you'll start having appointments every month or two right?" Horatio asked.

"That's correct," the doctor answered. Once a few more questions had been answered the doctor left the room leaving the friends alone with each other. None of them could believe this was happening and just how close to their dream they were.

Two weeks had gone by and Calleigh walked into CSI following her day off. She'd called in asking to take a personal day. Knowing that she'd never done that before Horatio granted her request. Humming a happy tune Calleigh walked into the break room and attached three different charms to three coffee cups before picking up her own cup and adding a 4th charm to her cup before filling her cup with half caffinated and half decafinated coffee. Just then all three men walked into the break room at the same time.

"Morning, Calleigh, did you enjoy your day off?" Speed wondered.

"I did, thanks for asking. Coffee?" the blond asked holding up the pot.

"please." They answered in unison. Smiling Calleigh fixed their coffee just the way each of them liked it and handed them their respective cups. They all began to drink the dark liquid sighing in contentment. None of them had noticed the charms tied to their cup.

"Oh good, there's coffee," Alexx said as she trudged into the room.

"Hi, Alexx, you okay?" Calleigh asked in concern.

"Yeah, Janie had a nightmare last night and had a hard time falling back to sleep," the M.E answered as she yawned. Reaching into the cabinet Horatio pulled out a mug and filled it. After adding the cream and sugar to her liking he handed it to the African American woman. As she reached for the offered cup she caught sight of the charm tied to the handle of the redhead's cup. Glancing over at the others in the room she saw charms tied to their cups as well. When she reached Calleigh's cup she lifted her eyes and caught the ballistics expert's eyes. Raising one eyebrow Alexx silently asked her question. Smiling Calleigh nodded. An excited smile crossed Alexx's face and she was about to give a happy cry when she saw the bewildered looks on the three male faces.

"They don't know yet, do they?"

"No, they haven't noticed yet," Calleigh answered with a smirk.

"Noticed What?" Eric asked.

"Your cups," Calleigh answered.

"For being three of the best CSI's in the lab you guys aren't very observant," Alexx interjected. Simultaneously the three men looked down at their cups and back up at the two women. Eric was the first to recognize the charm for what it really was.

"What is it?" Speed wondered.

"It's one of those little wine charms. You see them most at weddings. My sister had them at her wedding. She gave them to her bridesmaids. It was funny because her best friend got the baby one and she was the next one to have a baby," Eric explained as he studied his charm a bit more closely. His eyes widened when he realized his charm was a baby bottle.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked in a whisper.

"That depends on what you think it is," Calleigh answered.

"Is this a baby bottle charm?" Eric asked. Calleigh nodded her head. Eric could feel his hopes rising but he did his best to contain them. If he was wrong he didn't want to get everyone else excited for nothing. Calleigh could see the emotion in his eyes and just wanted to tell him he was right but she wanted to give Horatio and Speed a chance to figure it out on their own. Horatio and Speed still looked confused but after a moment or two more they were able to figure out that they had a pacifier and stroller charm respectively. Picking up the box that Calleigh had left on the table by accident Eric stared at it.

"It says there are four charms in here. If we have three of them who has the fourth one?"

"I do," Calleigh said, revealing her charm. Scanning the label he read the four different charms that were in the package.

"So if we have the bottle, pacifier and stroller then that means you have the…" Eric broke off as the realization of what Calleigh was telling them with her little game sank in. In a speed that stunned them all Eric had placed his coffee on the table moved across the room took Calleigh's mug from her hand and scooped her up in a huge bear hug. A smile split his face and all he could say is "Really? Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, it was confirmed yesterday," Calleigh said against his shoulder as a matching smile spread across her face.

"Huh?" Speed asked in confusion. Deciding his lovers had had long enough to figure it out Eric explained.

"The four charms are a baby bottle, pacifier, stroller, and a baby," he explained as his voice broke and a couple of happy tears slid down his cheek. Reaching out a hand Calleigh brushed his tears away.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm the pregnant one, that's my job, remember?" The others began to laugh but the laughter stopped when Calleigh's words and Eric's tears registered for what they really were.

"You're pregnant?" Horatio whispered in awe.

"Yes, the doctor confirmed it yesterday. I know you should have been there but I thought it would be kind of special to surprise you," Calleigh explained.

"What a wonderful surprise," Horatio said as he and Speed moved across the room and joined the group hug. Now that the news was common knowledge Alexx joined in as well.

"What's going on here?" Valera called as she walked into the break room amidst the celebration.

"Cal's pregnant," Speed announced.

"Really? That's fantastic, congratulations. When are you due?"

"I'm due June 12th," she answered. A panicked look crossed Speed's face.

"What's the matter, Timmy?" Alexx questioned.

"June 12th that's like nine months away. We don't have anything for a baby, we won't be ready that fast!" he said all in one breath.

"Speed, breathe," Horatio instructed. Glaring at him Speed took in a deep breath before beginning to panic again.

"Tim you took health class in high school, didn't you?" Valera teased.

"Y-y-yeah," he stammered.

"So you learned that it takes nine months to have a baby," she confirmed.

"Maybe he was absent that day," Eric ribbed.

"Shut up, Delko. I just mean that nine months isn't that long of a time how will we ever get everything done by the time the baby gets here?" he fretted.

"I promise nine months is enough time to get everything ready. People have been doing it for generations," Calleigh soothed.

"Okay, if you say so," Speed said quietly.

"I do," Calleigh replied. Looking around the room Tim could see similar expressions of reassurance from everyone else so he relaxed.

"Okay then, so I called the doctor the other day and most of the things you handle in ballistics aren't harmful to the baby. If your working in another lab talk to me first and we'll figure out if it's dangerous for you to be in there, okay?" Horatio told her.

"You got it, H." After a bit more discussion they all went their separate ways to work on processing evidence. They knew more details would have to be ironed out in the coming months but they had plenty of time to do so.

It was now November and Calleigh was two months along. So far things were going well. Her morning sickness wasn't too bad. The only thing she really had to contend with at this point was the fatigue. She found herself getting tired when she'd barely done anything. This was very frustrating to her but her doctor assured her it was normal. The guys were always giving her little pick-me-ups and encouraging her to rest if she needed it.

"What a way to start Thanksgiving, huh Cal?" Speed asked as they pulled up in front of their latest crime scene.

"Yeah, Dad goes postal on his wife and kids cause the turkey isn't cooked right, man what a day," she commented.

"Hey, Yelina, what have we got?" she questioned the Latina detective.

"Thirty-three-year-old Addison Patrick and her six-year-old twins Luke and Lily murdered in their living room. Husband's no where to be seen but neighbors said they heard his car leaving at a high rate of speed early this morning," Yelina told them.

"You cleared the house?" Speed confirmed.

"The officer that got here before me did. He was technically off shift but responded to the call because he was the closest. He stayed until I got here," she informed them.

"Thank you, Yelina," Calleigh said as they made their way to the house. The smell of blood assaulted their senses making them stop in their tracks. The nausea roiled in Calleigh's stomach and she fought to keep it down. Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth seemed to help settle her stomach.

"You okay?" Speed questioned.

"Yeah I'm fine. We can't touch the bodies until Alexx gets here but let's take pictures then continue processing until she gets here," she ordered.

"Sounds good to me," Speed replied. Calleigh began snapping pictures while Speed searched for evidence. Alexx arrived a few minutes later and they began processing the bodies.

"Liver temp is very close to normal. I'd say they've only been dead for three hours. You didn't know what hit you did you, sweetheart?" Alexx asked as she gently placed the small girl into a body bag before moving on to her brother.

"Any idea of COD?" Speed asked.

"I'd say the gunshots to their chests but their could be some underlying injuries that could have killed them. All three victims have numerous bruises indicative of child and spousal abuse," she said sadly.

"Not the way they thought they'd celebrate Thanksgiving," Calleigh said softly as she made her way to the stairs.

"Let me know if you need help processing up their. I'm gonna finish processing the living room then move on to the kitchen," Tim called up the stairs.

"Okay, I wi—" Calleigh broke off as a large man with blood covering his shirt came out of the bedroom at the top of the stairs and pushed her hard down the stairs. Calleigh's scream of surprise echoed off the walls as she fell hitting each step as she did.

"Calleigh!" Speed shouted as he ran to the fallen CSI.

"Yelina call an ambulance we've got an officer down! Alexx get back in here now!" he shouted as he dropped to his knees. Calleigh was breathing but unconscious.

"C'mon Cal, wake up. Please wake up for me, you've gotta be okay." Just then he remembered the baby. Looking down he breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see any blood but he knew there was still a chance something could be wrong with the baby. Alexx skidded to a stop as she saw Speed knealing next to an unconscious Calleigh.

Tim looked up when he heard shuffling at the top of the stairs. A guy with blood covering his shirt and pants was standing at the top of the stairs. The husband, Speed thought bitterly. Just then the man raised his gun to shoot but Speed moved faster hitting the man in the chest before he could fire his weapon.

"What the hells going on here?" Yelina cried as she came into the room. "I've called an ambulance where's the officer d--?" Yelina broke off as she saw the blond CSI lying on the floor. Just then she noticed the smell of a recently fired gun.

"You wanna tell me what happened, Speed?"

"Cal went upstairs to process the second floor. When she got to the top that jackass came out of the shadows and shoved her back down them. When I reached her I saw him standing their with his gun in his hand. He raised it to shoot so I shot him first. I had no choice it was self defense," the New Yorker defended.

"I know it was, I just needed to know what happened," Yelina said kindly. Just then Calleigh began to regain consciousness.

"MMM, Tim?" she mumbled clearly disoriented.

"I'm here, Calleigh. How are you feeling?"

"Confused and sore, is the baby okay?" she asked in a panic.

"Shh, relax, sugar, let me check you out," Alexx soothed. Nodding Calleigh lay as still as possible while Alexx checked her out.

"How is she?" Speed asked anxiously.

"Everything appears to be fine with her and the baby but I still say let the ambulance take her to the hospital so she can be checked out by her own doctor," Alexx told him. Just then the sirens from the approaching ambulance could be heard.

"I'm fine," Calleigh argued as she struggled to sit up.

"Ly still, Cal, you've taken a nasty fall," Speed told her. The paramedics walked into the room and took in the chaos.

"The man at the top of the stairs is dead. This is Detective Calleigh Duquesne from CSI. She was pushed down the stairs and she's two months pregnant," Speed explained.

"Okay, we're going to take you to the hospital just as a precaution, okay, ma'am?" one of the paramedics asked Calleigh. Sighing Calleigh nodded she knew that if she fought it Speed would take her to the hospital himself so she just decided to go with it. Just as Speed climbed into the back of the ambulance much to Calleigh's protests his cell phone rang.

"Yelina just called what happened is everyone okay?" Horatio asked anxiously.

"H, calm down. Everyone's okay. They're taking Cal to the hospital so she can be checked out but Alexx looked her over and said she's fine," Tim assured his lover.

"Are you sure your both okay?" Eric questioned from his spot next to Horatio.

"Yes I promise we're both okay," Speed swore.

"Put them on speaker," Calleigh requested. Nodding Speed did what she asked him to do.

"Hey you two, I'm okay I promise. Tim saved my life," she answered honestly.

"What do you mean?" Eric questioned.

"The bastard was standing at the top of the stairs with a gun raised to shoot after he pushed Cal down the stairs so I fired first not giving him a chance to," Speed explained.

"I'm very thankful to you for that. I don't even want to go to the hospital but Tim's insisting on it. The only reason I've agreed is because I want to make sure the babies okay."

"Call us once you know things are okay," Horatio told them.

"I will, but I have to go for now we're at the hospital," Speed said as he hung up the phone and took Calleigh's hand into his and gave it a squeeze.

Fifteen minutes later Calleigh had been declared perfectly healthy and unharmed save for a couple of bruises from her fall.

"Your just fine, Detective Duquesne. I don't see any reason why you can't go home," the doctor said in a cheerful voice.

"Thank you, Dr."

"Your quite welcome your very lucky that both you and your baby are okay. Falling down a staircase can cause a lot of problems for the baby and can even cause the mother to miscarry," the doctor said solemnly.

"But Calleigh isn't at any higher risk of miscarrying the baby due to her fall down the stairs is she?" Speed asked anxiously.

"No she isn't," the doctor said. Speed breathed a sigh of relief. Calleigh smiled sweetly at him as she signed the discharge papers with a flourish before standing up and heading for the door.

"C'mon Tim, we've got places to go and people to see."

When they reached the lab the two of them headed for Horatio's office. They found Eric and Horatio sitting on the couch wrapped up in each others arms.

"Don't you two ever work?" Calleigh teased as she opened the door. Both men looked up and gave her a smile. Eric then Horatio got off the couch and pulled her into a gentle hug mindful of her bruises. Then they pulled Speed in for a hug and a quick kiss.

"What did the doctor say?" Horatio asked.

"That the baby and I are fine," Calleigh informed the anxious duo. Both men settled on the couch breathed a sigh of relief at the news.

"That's good to hear," Eric said softly.

"Yes it is, yes it is," Speed murmured in agreement.

"Happy Thanksgiving, you three," Calleigh said with a bright smile.

"Happy Thanksgiving," they chorused back.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

A/n, This chapter containes spoilers and dialogue from season 1 ep 18 "Dispo Day" Please read and review!

"So what's on tap for today?" Calleigh asked brightly as she met up with the rest of the team one March morning.

"It's dispo day, I'm transporting the evidence in the truck," Speed said.

"Ah I see," Calleigh commented.

"Be careful," Eric pleaded.

"It's dispo day and the route is clasified there's nothing to worry about, Eric. Don't borrow trouble," Speed admonished.

"I know it's clasified, but I can't help but worry. Just be careful, okay?" Walking over Speed placed a small kiss on Eric's lips.

"I promise I'll be careful," Eric said softly. Tim looked at his watch, noting the time. "I have to go, I love you," he said against Eric's mouth as he placed another kiss on his lips before turning and hurrying out of the room. Eric stared sullenly after his lover. He couldn't seem to shake the bad feeling that had taken up residence in his stomach.

"He'll be fine," Calleigh assured him placing a hand on his shoulder. Just then the baby kicked causing her to wince and smile at the same time.

"You okay?" Eric asked shifting his gaze to her.

"Yeah, the babie's kicking, you wanna feel?" she questioned. Nodding Eric held out his hand. Taking it Calleigh placed it on her stomach and held it still. After a moment or two the baby gave a good kick. A broad smile crossed Eric's face.

"Hey there, baby, stop kicking your mommy so hard," he whispered as he gently rubbed Calleigh's stomach. As if the baby could understand what he was saying it settled down.

"The baby knows your voice," Calleigh told him.

"MMM hmm, I just hope it cooperates at the next exam so we can find out what it is," Eric lamented.

"Yeah, me to," Calleigh agreed.

"Well I have to get to work but I'll see you later," Eric said as he walked to the fingerprint lab ready to continue scanning the prints from their current case.

The truck carrying the drugs was moving smoothly along the dispo route when he heard dispatch call to Horatio who was behind him that they had a funeral procession coming their way. He also heard Horatio telling them to let the procession pass. When he saw the hearse Speed could feel his insides twist slightly. He was beginning to wonder if Eric's bad feeling had some merrit to it. Stop freaking out over nothing, Speed scolded himself. Just as he was doing that a station wagon came out of no where and crashed into the hearse. It was then that all hell broke loose. The evidence truck was caught somewhere in the middle of the mess. The supposed officers climbed off their bikes and got out of their car and began firing. The guys from the hearse fired as well. He could see Horatio take cover. Just as Tim climbed out of the truck he saw Officer Hollis go down. Tim swore creatively. He hated to see anyone die but he hated it even more when it was one of their own. Just then the gunman walked up to Speed getting in his face. He raised his weapon to fire. He pulled the trigger but all he heard was a clicking sound. He lookd down at his gun to see why it had misfired. That was a crucial mistake, though, because that was the exact moment the gunman pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into his chest at full impact knocking him to the ground. He laid on the road trying to block out the pain, but damn it all to hell it hurt like a bitch.

Meanwhile Horatio was firing while trying to protect the woman and the baby in the station wagon. The gunman jumped into the evidence truck and sped away. Horatio fired one more shot and it hit one of the trucks tires. When the smoke cleared he nearly stopped breathing when he saw Speed lying on the road. Running over he called Speed's name.

"Speed, let me se, let me see!"

"It h-h-hurts!" Speed ground out through his teeth.

"I know, take it easy, let me see," Horatio soothed.

"My chest," Speed gasped.

"Hold on," Horatio said opening Speed's shirt.

"My chest," Speed gasped again.

"Hold on, the kevlar held, Speed, the kevlar held," Horatio said in relief. The paramedics walked up to the two of them.

"He's got one hell of a bruise from the impact of the bullet. The kevlar vest saved his life. The impact of the bullet knocked the wind out of him but he'll be fine," the paramedic told Horatio.

"Thank you," Horatio said softly. With Horatio's help Speed climbed slowly to his feet. Slowly they made their way back to the lab to face the firing squad.

"You know IAB will be all over this," Speed said.

"I'll deal with IAB," Horatio said acidly.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Speed pleaded.

"I won't," Horatio promised as he flipped the directional indicating he wanted to turn right on to the highway heading back to the crime lab.

Heaving a sigh Horatio left his interview with IAB and headed for the ballistics lab.

"What can you tell me, Calleigh?" he prompted. (Calleigh is mapping out the intersection and shooting schematics on the

computer, digitizing it. She puts the hearse and cops on the monitor while

Horatio watches.)

CALLEIGH: Bad guys. (She adds the others.) Good guys. I recovered a hundred

and twenty-two pieces of firearms evidence.

HORATIO: Good work.

(Calleigh turns and glances behind her at Horatio.)

CALLEIGH: Thank you. Well, you know what they say. You don't really know who

you are until ...

HORATIO: All hell breaks loose.

(Calleigh turns back to the computer.)

CALLEIGH: Mm-hmm. So our round count on our two swat officers was fifty-four.

Of that, I got forty-five casings. Those are shown in blue.

HORATIO: Talk about bullets.

CALLEIGH: There were twelve. We dug them out of the hearse, trees, buildings,

several cars. It was the usual yield. Three-fourths of the casings, one-fourth

of the bullets.

HORATIO: The ex-cons used tec-9s, didn't they?

CALLEIGH: That's correct-- death talons. And those are shown here in red.

Now, of that, I got forty casings and eighteen projectiles. One of which

fatally killed Officer Hollis.

HORATIO: Anything else?

CALLEIGH: Yes. The green triangles are actually rounds that I matched to your

weapon. Seven total, not including the round that you pulled out of Laskey's

head or the one that came out of the doctor's office. So, it turns out you're a

good shot.

HORATIO: What about Speedle's 9?

CALLEIGH: (hesitates, but covers) That is ongoing. I haven't matched any

projectiles or casings to his weapon yet, but I'm not finished with the report.

HORATIO: Okay. Anything else?

CALLEIGH: Well, I've saved the best for last. You know the bullet you pulled

out of Lynn Martell's car?

HORATIO: Mm-hmm.

CALLEIGH: Trajectory from the final position turns out is from across the

street. We have a mystery shooter. So, our crime scene just got a lot bigger.

HORATIO: Okay, you know what? Get Tripp and go back over there. Nice work.

CALLEIGH: Thanks. Horatio nodded as he left the room. His heart was heavy and he didn't know how to handle the problem he had just been presented with.

Picking up his pace when he saw Eric in the hall Horatio reached his youngest lover in a few strides.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey how are things going?"

"About as good as can be expected. I have to run an errand when we're off shift so you and Speed head on home and I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" the redhead said.

"Sure, no problem, H. Any idea what happened out their? Speed won't talk," Eric complained.

"All hell broke loose, Eric, that's what happened." Eric sighed he knew there was more to it than that but he wasn't sure what his lovers were keeping from him.

Finally the long grueling day was over and Eric and Speed found themselves at Home. Eric was fussing around his lover trying to make sure he was comfortable.

"I'm fine, will you stop fussing Eric?" Speed complained. Eric sighed as he settled next to his lover on the couch.

"I'm sorry I just hate being left in the dark. I went to ask Cal about her report from the shooting and all she'd say to me is that she'd already told Horatio and that was that," Eric said.

"MMM," Speed replied noncommittally.

"Thank god for kevlar," Eric murmured.

"You can say that again," Horatio said as he walked in closing the door behind him. In his hand he held a wrapped package.

"What's that H?" Tim asked.

"It's something for you," Horatio answered.

"Okay," Speed said in bewilderment as he took the package in his hands and began unwrapping it. Once it was unwrapped Speed glanced down at the box he held in his hand. Across the front of it in large black letters were the words gun cleaning kit. Eric looked from the box in Speed's lap to first Horatio's face then Speed's then back to the box. He could feel the air leaving his lungs as the realization that what had really gone down on the dispo route was confirmed as fact not suspicion any more.

"Um, thanks I needed one of these," Speed said quietly as he looked down. He couldn't meet either man's eyes.

"I thought you might," Horatio said with a slight edge in his voice.

"Explain now," Eric said coldly. Taking a deep breath Speed prepared to come clean.

"I may have had to look at my gun during the shoot out," he admitted.

"So what your saying is that your gun misfired due to the fact that you didn't clean your gun?" Eric spat. Speed just nodded he couldn't bear to look at the Cuban-Russian. If he'd realized the backlash that would result from his next question Speed would have never asked it but as it was he did.

"How did Cal explain it in her report?"

"She told me it was on-going but when she handed me the final report she said it was a gun malfunction," Horatio answered hesitantly. At that Eric lost it.

"A gun malfunction what the hell? Why the hell don't we call a spade a spade? Your fuckin gun didn't fire because you were to damn lazy to clean it. Why the hell didn't you ever clean it?" Eric snarled.

"I just didn't," Speed answered sullenly.

"What you didn't feel the need to take the time?" Eric spat. Speed just shrugged which was answer enough.

"It's not just about you anymore! Your in a relationship with two other people. We have a child on the way for fuck sake. What the hell kind of father doesn't clean their gun just cause they don't feel like it! Huh what kind of father does that?" Eric shouted as he lunged at Speed and began punching him.

"Eric! Stop it that's enough," Horatio called.

"No, it's no where near enough. He needs to pay for his consequences!" Eric snarled as he landed another punch square on Tim's jaw. Tim didn't fight back he just sat their and took it. He knew he deserved it.

"Damn it! Fight back c'mon what's wrong with you? Why won't you fight back?" Eric growled.

"Cause I deserve it," Tim said lowly.

"Your damn right you do. I don't know how I can ever trust you again!" Eric yelled. How the hell can I trust you to have my back and be able to kill someone if it comes to that when you don't always clean your gun? Huh, how in the hell can I ever trust you again?" Eric asked getting right in Tim's face. His voice broke at the end of the sentence and he furiously pushed back the hot tears that burned at the back of his eyes. In one fluid movement he grabbed his keys and was out the door slamming it behind him. Horatio and Tim sat in silence until they heard Eric's car tear out of the driveway faster then either of them had ever seen him drive before.

"Do you agree with him?" Speed asked lowly.

"I'm hurt and upset just like he is that you chose not to take the time to clean your gun anytime recently. I can understand why he has trust issues. It's going to take a lot to get that back. I'm going to try and give you the benefit of the doubt, but I'll be honest with you, it's not going to be easy. I'm having a hard time trusting you as well."

"How can I get yours and Eric's trust back?" Speed asked softly.

"Well for starters, clean your gun once a week. Let us see that you clean it. Clean it in front of us for the first few times. Then maybe after a while you can just show it to us when we get to work. Someday we'll stop asking or expecting you to show it to us and just expect you to clean it on your own, but that's a long way off. I'll admit I'm not reacting like Eric, but I'm just as angry, I'm just better at being calm, cool, and collected," Horatio said. Speed nodded in agreement. Then he winced in pain as his face muscles reminded him that he'd just had the tar beaten out of him.

"I'm s-s-sorry, I'll clean it from now on I swear," Speed promised as he started to shake as the first of many sobs escaped his mouth. Seeing the tough New Yorker break down nearly killed Horatio. Moving next to him he gathered his broken lover into his arms and held him as he cried it all out.

"I'd like to say I believe you when you say you'll clean it, but unfortunately, I can't. All you can do now is prove it to me, to us," Horatio said. Speed nodded against his chest.

"The moment Calleigh gives it back to me I'll c-c-clean it," Tim vowed as he continued to cry. He knew he'd fucked up and he had a lot to do to fix it. He just hoped he could.

"The reason we're so hurt and angry is because we don't want to lose you. You mean too much to us to even think about the fact of you dieing. Besides this baby needs to know all three of it's father's not just the two of us and the memory of you," Horatio explained as his own pent up tears from the day began falling down his face. Seeing Horatio break down and cry was Tim's undoing and he began to cry even harder clinging to Horatio for dear life and wishing Eric was there as well so he could start fixing this awful mess.

The sound of squealing tires and a car appearing in front of her house at a high speed instantly caught Calleigh's attention. As quickly as she could manage in her six-month pregnant state which admittedly wasn't very quickly she got off the couch and headed for the door ready to see who had appeared at her house driving like a bat out of hell. She was stunned when she opened the door to see a livid Eric delko. His face was a mix of red and purple and as she watched the anger turned to grief and sadness as he began to cry. He looked like someone had just ran over his favorite dog.

"Eric honey what's wrong?"

"Speed that's what's wrong. He fuckin didn't clean his gun and he would have died if it weren't for the kevlar vest. Then you refuse to tell me what was going on when I asked you to at the lab. Why Calleigh? Why did you keep this from me?" Eric asked as his voice left him and the tears took over. Reaching out she pulled him into her arms. He resisted at first but after a moment he melted into her and continued to cry.

"I kept it from you because it was Speed's mistake to admit to. I had to tell Horatio because he's the boss. However, Speed needed to tell you in order for him to realize the magnitude of his mistake."

"I understand that but why did you put it down as a gun malfunction? You could tell it was because he didn't clean it."

"Think about it, Eric. If I had said it was because of improper gun maintenance the entire lab would be under screutony. Do you know who would get most of the flack?" Calleigh asked.

"Horatio," Eric answered suddenly realizing what Calleigh had done and why she'd done it.

"Exactly," Calleigh said.

"Regardless he should have cleaned his gun. It's not just about him anymore. He's in a relationship with H and I and we're expecting a child. What kind of father doesn't clean his gun?" Eric asked.

"Oh, Eric, you didn't say that to him, did you?" Calleigh asked incredulously. Eric's face said enough. "That was a low blow and you know it," she scolded.

"I know but I was angry, hurt, upset, and scared. I still am," Eric said quietly. "Can I have something to drink?"

"Sure, I'll be right back," Calleigh said as she got to her feet and headed into the kitchen. She was back a minute later with a glass of water. He stared at it wishing it were a beer.

"I know you wanted a beer, but I won't let you drown your sorrows," she told him sternly.

"Okay, thanks," Eric said as he reached for the glass. He winced as his split nuckles on the hand that had punched Speed protested. Calleigh took his injured hand into hers.

"Is this from what I think it is?" she asked. Eric nodded as he stared down at his bloody nuckles. "Man you really did a number on him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. I mean I know I crossed the line today, but so did he. I know we need to talk, but I can't do it right now. If he was in front of me right now I'd probably hit him again. I know we need to fix this, but I can't face him right now. Can I stay here for a day or two, please?" he pleaded. Sighing Calleigh took a long hard look at the man sitting in front of her.

"Yes you can stay here. You can stay in my guest room as long as you need to, but, Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't wait too long to talk to him and sort this all out, okay? If anything today should have taught you that life's too short to stay mad at someone forever."

"Yeah I know your right."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?"

"This," Calleigh said as she smacked him on the cheek.

"Hey what was that for?" Eric cried indignantly.

"For driving like a bat out of hell! You talk about Speed trying to kill himself by not cleaning his gun; when you do the same thing by driving like that. Driving like a maniac is just as liable to get you killed if not more so then not cleaning your gun."

"Okay, your right, sorry," he apologized.

"I forgive you, now come on, it's time for dinner and I've got some spaghetti on the stove," Calleigh said. Eric was about to say he wasn't hungry but he knew it was a lost cause so he pulled himself from the couch and headed into the kitchen to eat some Spaghetti.

Rubbing her temples Calleigh took one last look at her sleeping house guest before gently closing the door to the spare room and heading into her own bedroom to prepare for bed. After dinner she'd held him while he cried out all of his anger, hurt, and fear until he'd calmed down enough for her to suggest he go to bed. He'd agreed but it was just a matter of time before he woke from a nightmare. It had taken Calleigh half an hour to calm him enough for him to fall back asleep. She could feel her heart breaking for the pain her friends were going through. Easing herself down on to the bed she grabbed her cell phone and pressed and held the number 2 until it connected. While she was waiting on it to ring she eased her feet out of her shoes.

"Hello?" came Horatio's soft voice. Calleigh could clearly tell he'd been crying.

"Hey Horatio," Calleigh greeted.

"Hey Cal, is Eric with you? Speed and he got into a huge fight then he stormed out and we haven't seen him since and we're both worried.

"Yeah, he's safe and sound in my guest room. He showed up here about three hours ago driving like a bat out of hell. I fed him and got him to tell me what happened and finally convinced him to sleep. He had a nightmare but I sat with him and he just fell back to sleep."

"Any idea what the nightmare was about?"

"Losing Speed in the dream he wasn't wearing kevlar," Calleigh explained. Horatio drew in a sharp breath as he pulled Speed tighter against him. He'd never been so thankful for kevlar vests in his life.

"He with her?" Speed asked hoarsely.

"Yes he is, Tim," Horatio told him.

"Can I talk to her?" he requested.

"Sure hold on a sec."

"Hey Calleigh?"

"Yeah?"

"Speed wants to talk to you," Horatio told her.

"Okay, put him on," she answered. Nodding Horatio handed the phone to his lover.

"Cal," Speed said brokenly.

"Hey there, Tim," she said softly.

"When will you be done processing my gun? I want it back so I can clean it. I want to show Eric and Horatio that I really mean it when I say I'll clean it," he explained.

"Probably sometime on Friday I have another day or two worth of tests to do on the evidence from the shoot out."

"God, I'm so sorry, Calleigh. I'm so sorry I don't know why I stopped cleaning it, just got lazy I guess," Speed reflected.

"I know you used to clean it because if you hadn't you wouldn't have been able to kill that guy who pushed me down the stairs during that case on Thanksgiving Day, remember?"

"Yeah I do." He could clearly remember the panic he felt when he saw her tumble down those stairs. He hadn't even thought twice when he shot and killed the suspect. He had a gun and was pointing it at Calleigh. He didn't have any other choice if he hadn't killed him he would have killed Calleigh and their unborn child.

"Will you do something for me, Speed?" Calleigh requested.

"Sure, name it," he said.

"The next time you think about not cleaning your gun, remember that day. Think about the fact that if you hadn't shot and killed the husband he could have come after me and killed me and your child. You could have lost both of us if you hadn't cleaned it. Will you do that for me?" she pleaded.

"Yes I will, I promise. How's Eric doing? Does he hate me?" Calleigh heaved a deep sigh. She knew Eric didn't hate Speed that he was just angry beyond measure but she could see how Speed thought he hated him.

"He's upset and angry, but he doesn't hate you. He knows you guys need to talk this out and fix it, but he can't do it right now. His emotions are to close to the surface for him to think clearly right now."

"I know it was irresponsible of me not to clean my gun especially since I'm going to be a father soon, but I swear I won't do that anymore. Just please don't keep the baby from Horatio and Eric because of my stupid mistake. Please don't," he said as he began to cry.

"Oh Tim, I won't do that," Calleigh told him.

"No, I need you to promise me Calleigh, please, promise me."

"Tim I promise you I won't keep your child from the three of you. I'm this child's mother but he or she has three wonderful father's who are going to give him or her a warm loving environment."

"Your not going to keep the baby from me? Are you sure that's such a good idea? I don't want to set a bad example for him or her," Speed argued.

"No I won't keep the baby from you. All of us are going to screw up from time to time and not always give him or her the best example but that's part of parenting," she said.

"Okay," Tim said softly. Just then Calleigh yawned widely.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine, I'll let you get some sleep, but Cal?" he asked.

"Yeah what is it?"

"Will you tell Eric I love him and that as soon as you give me my gun back I'll clean it and will do it from then on. I'd tell him but I don't think he'll talk to me in the first place."

"I will, but Tim?"

"MMM?" he mumbled.

"When Eric does finally decide to actually talk this out, listen to him. Listen to what he has to say without yelling back. I'm sure he'll do the same for you, but you've got to understand where he's coming from," she told him.

"I know and I'll do my best to listen. Well I'll let you get some sleep, thanks for keeping him safe tonight and looking after him."

"It's no problem. I'd rather him be here with me than out drinking himself into oblivian," Calleigh responded.

"MMM hmm, night, Cal."

"Night Tim, see you tomorrow." Hanging up the phone Tim rolled over towards Horatio and snuggled into his arms trying to shut his mind off enough so he could get at least a little sleep. Wrapping his arms around him Horatio kissed the top of his dark head.

"Get some sleep, babe. This will all work out in the end," he soothed.

"Yeah I know, I just wish it was sooner rather than later," Speed said softly.

"I know, me to," Horatio agreed as he settled against his pillow trying to drift off to sleep as well.

The next couple of days at the crime lab were very tense. Deciding it would be a bad idea to pair Eric and Speed together considering the current situation he'd paired himself with Speed and had Eric either solo or breaking his own rule let Calleigh go out into the field with him. Friday morning came and Eric dragged himself into the lab. He looked like hell and felt like it to. Horatio had packed some of his clothes and brought them to work on Tuesday morning.

"So you have clothes and such while you stay with Calleigh," he'd explained.

"Thanks, H," Eric replied.

"Your welcome. Hey, Eric?"

"Yeah?" Eric answered.

"I know your angry and hurt and so am I and for that matter so is Tim, but don't stay at Calleigh's forever. Come home soon so we can talk about this," he pleaded.

"I won't stay there to long. Probably until the end of the week. I just need sometime to calm down and wrap my head around nearly losing him, you know?"

"I understand that, but I wish you could come home sooner than that," Horatio lamented. Unknown to both of them Speed was standing in the doorway of the locker room.

"It's alright I understand why he can't be around me right now, but just answer this one question for me, will you Eric?" Eric nodded silently.

"Did Calleigh pass on my message and did she tell you that as soon as she gives me my gun back on Friday I'll clean it? I'm telling you so you can watch me do it. You can watch me do it as long as you need to," Speed promised.

"She told me," Eric said as he turned on his heal and pushed past Speed he couldn't deal with everything just yet.

The sound of footsteps pulled Eric from his thoughts.

"Hey Eric, glad it's Friday?" Alexx asked walking up to him.

"MMM, yeah I guess," he mumbled.

"You going home tonight, baby?" She didn't have to elaborate on what exactly she meant by that he knew. He'd heard that she'd read Speed her own version of the riot act earlier this week regarding his gun cleaning habits.

"Yeah we need to fix this and being apart is killing me just as much as it's killing them," he answered. Alexx nodded as she ran her hand over Eric's scruffy cheek.

"Your starting to look a lot like Timmy with your scruffy face," she commented. A small smile crossed Eric's face at the comparison.

"Yeah I guess I am," he agreed.

"Well hang in there, it'll all work out in the end, just make sure you listen to him just like I know he'll do for you, okay?" she reminded him gently.

"I'll listen to him," Eric assured her. Looking at his watch he realized he needed to get to work.

"Well I'll see you later," Alexx said noticing his glance.

"Okay, see you then, Alexx," he replied as he headed for the layout room where he was processing evidence from his current case.

"You paged me?" Tim asked as he walked into ballistics later that afternoon.

"Yes I did, I have something that belongs to you," Calleigh said holding out his gun. Hesitantly he took it in both of his hands.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"Your welcome," she replied.

"I'll clean it tonight. I'll let you see it when we get to work on Monday," Speed told her.

"You don't have to, but if it will make you feel better," Calleigh soothed.

"It will," he answered quickly.

"Well then, by all means," Calleigh replied. Nodding his head Tim made his way out of ballistics slipping his gun into it's holster and going in search of his lovers. He found the two of them in Horatio's office. He stopped just outside the door and knocked. Up until this week he wouldn't have knocked but with the current circumstances he figured it would be best if he did so.

"Come in," Horatio called through the door. Taking a deep breath Tim opened the door and walked in. He closed it softly behind himself.

"What can I do for you, Speed?" Horatio questioned.

"Cal just gave me my gun back and I wanted to let you know that I'm going to clean it when we get home," Speed informed them. Neither man missed the fact that the trace expert's eyes flickered briefly on Eric when he said the word "we" before moving back to Horatio.

"We can all clean our guns when we get home tonight," Eric said as he stood and made his way tentatively over to Tim. Slowly Tim held out his arms and Eric walked into them. They clung to each other for a moment soaking up the love from each other. After a moment Horatio joined them.

"I tell you what it's only about fifteen minutes until the end of shift, what do you say we get out of here?" Horatio suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Eric agreed.

"Me to," Speed added.

"I need to talk to Cal for a second but I'll be right behind you," Eric told them.

"Okay, see you at home," Tim said as he placed a tentative kiss on Eric's lips before beginning to pull back. Eric wouldn't let him go, though.

"What is it?" Speed questioned.

"I just wanted you to know that I love you, you know that, don't you?" Eric asked in a choked voice.

"Yes, and I love you to," Speed responded through a clogged throat. Returning the kiss Speed had given him Eric pulled away and headed for the door leaving a hopeful Speed and a thankful Horatio behind.

"Knock knock," Eric said as he knocked on the door to Calleigh's lab.

"Hey Eric, what can I do for you?" she asked brightly.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm going home. I'll be by to pick up my stuff later this weekend."

"Don't worry about it, I can bring it to work on Monday," the ballistics expert offered.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," he said.

"It's no problem," she assured him.

"Thank you for everything, Calleigh," he said as he pulled her in for a tight hug or at least as tight of one as her growing belly would allow.

"Your welcome, that's what friends are for. Now go home and enjoy a night with your lovers," Calleigh said with a gleam in her eye.

"Don't worry I will," Eric said a ghost of his smile returning.

"MMM, see you Monday," Calleigh said as she turned and began putting her lab in order for the weekend.

"Yeah, hey when's the ultrasound next week?" he asked just as he reached the door.

"It's Wednesday at 4:30," she answered with a smile.

"Here's hoping the baby will cooperate so we can know what it is," Eric said with a broad smile.

"Yeah I know," Calleigh said as she waved him down the hall. Taking the hint Eric hurried off to his car so he could head home and sort things out with his lover.

"I'm sorry for all the hurtful things I said. I know you would never cause any harm to come to our child," Eric apologized. "I was just scared and angry so I dealt with it the only way I knew how, by saying hurtful things to the man I love."

"I'll admit it hurt for you to say that, but I can understand where the anger was coming from."

"Are you going to tell him how much his words hurt you and what you made Calleigh promise?" Horatio prompted.

"What's he talking about?" Eric asked. Speed sat in thought for a moment debating if he wanted to admit what he'd said to Calleigh. Finally he decided he should so he explained what he'd made Calleigh promise.

"You know you don't deserve to be kept from our child, don't you?" Eric wanted to know.

"I do now, but it was just I felt like no one would trust me around him or her. I know better now. I told Horatio and I'm telling you now I'll clean my gun once a week. You can watch me. If you don't want to watch me but want me to show it to you when we get to work I will. I've already told Calleigh and Alexx I'll show it to them. I just want to do whatever I can to get your trust back," Speed said shakily as his voice cracked.

"It's going to take time for everyones wounds to heal but lets start now. All three of us will make it a routine to clean our guns at least every Friday and more often if necessary. After a while we can go to just doing it on our own and each of us showing the others when we get to work, how does that sound?" Eric suggested.

"That's fine with me, but why should you two have to show me your guns after you clean them? I know you do it," Speed wondered.

"We're in this together and if we all have to show each other that we clean our gun none of us will get complacent about it. It will serve as a reminder of how much we'd have to lose if any of us chose not to clean them," Horatio explained. Eric nodded in agreement.

"So we're okay?" Speed questioned.

"We will be," Eric said softly as he leaned in for a sweet kiss.

"Okay, lets get cleaning then we can order in some dinner," Tim said. The others nodded as they began to clean their guns. After that they ordered dinner then cuddled on the couch watching TV. The rest of the night was spent with the three of them holding one another and watching TV just thankful they still had each other.

TBC?

A/n, okay so after that action packed chapter the next one is much more light-hearted I promise. You find out what the gender of the baby is.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"Are you ready to find out what your having?" Dr. Johnston inquired.

"Yes we deffinitly are," Horatio said as he gave a lop-sided grin. Karen smiled as she wheeled the ultrasound machine over to the table Calleigh was lying on.

"This will be cold," she warned as she squirted some of the gel on Calleigh's exposed stomach. Calleigh shivered as it touched her skin.

"You'd think they'd find a way to make this warmer," she complained.

"Nope, I'm afraid not," Dr. Johnston replied.

"Maybe you can invent warm ultrasound gel and market it. I bet you'd make a pretty penny," Eric said.

"He's right, just think of how many doctor's offices and hospitals would pay to get their hands on that," Speed commented.

"You two are crazy," Calleigh laughed as she watched the doctor grab the probe and begin moving it across her stomach.

"Yeah, but you love us and wouldn't have it any other way," Eric challenged.

"Yeah your right, now let's see what the baby has to tell us," Calleigh said as she turned her attention to the ultrasound machine screen watching it intently.

"Ah, yes, here's your baby," the doctor said. She shifted the screen so everyone in the room could see the grainy image. After pressing a few buttonns the sound of a steady heartbeat could clearly be heard. Smiles came to the faces of the three men and the expectant mother lying on the table.

"That's our baby," Calleigh whispered.

"Yes it is, and the heart rate looks good," Karen told them.

"Can we find out what we're having now?" Horatio requested.

"Anxious much?" Eric teased.

"Oh and your not?" Speed added in.

"Boys, that's enough," Calleigh lightly scolded. Karen laughed at the group she loved their closeness.

"Well how about we see if this little one will cooperate with us and tell us what he or she is, shal we?" After a bit more moving of the probe a slow smile came to the doctor's face.

"What is it, can you tell what the babies sex is?" Calleigh asked happily.

"Yes I can," she answered with a beaming smile.

"Well?" Eric prompted. None of them were good at dealing with suspense.

"In a little less than three months you'll be welcoming a baby girl into your lives," the doctor revealed.

"A girl?" Speed confirmed.

"A girl," the doctor answered.

"Oh dear lord, god help us when she's old enough to date," Eric lamented.

"She's not dating until she's 30," Horatio and Speed said in unison. Both Calleigh and Karen rolled their eyes at the guys.

"She'll date way before then and you know that," Calleigh told them. The disgruntaled looks she got in return just made her laugh. Pushing a button on the machine the doctor printed out sonogram pictures for the excited family.

"Here are your pictures. Calleigh, if you'll clean off the gel we'll continue with the rest of the exam," she said handing the blond a paper towel. Once she'd cleaned herself up she sat up preparing for the rest of the exam.

"Your blood pressure looks good and it appears that the baby is growing right on schedule. You seem to be healthy over all is that correct? Any concerns I need to know about?"

"No I'm doing good. I'm tired more often but that's to be expected," Calleigh answered. Just then Mindy knocked on the exam room door.

"Come in," Karen called.

"Hey, the blood work looks good," Mindy informed the group.

"That's good, I didn't expect to hear anything different," the doctor said.

"What about my maternity leave? When do I have to take it?" Calleigh asked. Most women would love the idea of maternity leave but not Calleigh, she loved her job way too much.

"Because your so healthy and there haven't been any complications up to this point I'd say you can work up until your eighth month. Then I want you on maternity leave," the doctor told her. Calleigh nodded she could agree with that.

"Well then we're done here for today. I want you to make another appointment in a month. After that one I want to see you every two weeks," Dr. Johnston said as she stood up from her seat and walked towards the door.

"See you then," Calleigh called.

"Bye, see all of you then," she said. Reaching out a hand Eric helped Calleigh down from the table and they all headed for the reception desk to make the next months appointment.

"Now we can start figuring out a name for our little girl," Speed said.

"Yeah, just nothing strange or that will get her beat up on the playground," Calleigh promised.

"Don't worry between the four of us I'm sure we can come up with a suitable name for our daughter," Horatio assured her.

"Oh, and no strange fruit names like Apple like those celeberties name their kids," Eric interjected. Everyone laughed at the crazy names people came up with for their children.

Lying in bed that Night Eric had a startling realization. He didn't realize he'd gasped until his lover's turned to him in concern.

"Everything okay, Eric?" Tim asked.

"No, what will we do about her last name? We're all her fathers and I want to make sure that's legally binding so no one can ever dispute it," he explained.

"Because your her biological father she will have your last name," Horatio explained.

"I know that, but what can we do to ensure you two are legally her fathers to?" he asked.

"We'll adopt her we talked about this when we talked with Calleigh that night, remember?" Speed reminded him.

"Oh yeah, I do, sorry just freaking out a bit."

"Don't worry about it. I've talked to my lawyer and he's drawn up the papers. All we're waiting on is her to be born. Once she's born Speed and I will sign the adoption papers legally making her ours," Horatio told him. Eric breathed a sigh of relief he was glad his lover had been thinking ahead it made him feel better.

"MM, I love you," he said pressing a kiss to the redheads mouth.

"MMM, love you to," Horatio replied returning the kiss.

"What about me?" Speed pouted.

"We love you to," Eric said giving Speed a kiss as well.

"Well just as long as you love me to then we're good," Speed teased.

"I'll show you how much I love you," Eric growled as his mouth traveled across Speed's face to his jaw and down to his neck where he licked then bit down on the pulse point causing Speed to moan in pleasure. Eric's hands and mouth continued to travel across Speed's heated flesh causing the other man to arch into the touch and make happy sounds of pleasure.

"You two are so fun to watch. Do you have any idea how much you arouse me when you make out with each other like this?" Horatio breathed as his hands traveled up and down his own body stopping as they reached his cock and he teased the tip of it with a finger.

"That's the plan," Speed said as he tugged on Eric's hair urging him upward. Eric happily complied and moved up Speed's body and fell into the kiss Speed was requesting. Eric deepened the kiss as he threaded his fingers through Speed's hair. Horatio smiled as he shifted to kiss the back of Eric's neck. The sensation caused the man in the middle to moan into Speed's mouth. Sweeping his tongue along Eric's Speed hummed in contentment. They continued to make out like teenagers for a bit longer before Horatio who was kissing Speed yawned causing them to laugh.

"Well I guess it's time for bed," Speed said.

"MMM hmm," Horatio agreed sleepily. Eric nodded as he slid down and made himself more comfortable drifting off almost instantly.

"What about Rachel?"

"No, how about Natalie?" Eric and Tim shook their heads.

"You got any ideas, Cal?"

"How about Carolyn Joy?"

"I like that one," Eric commented. Speed and Horatio nodded.

"What others can we come up with?" Speed asked.

"What about Danielle?" Horatio suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

"What about Marie for a middle name Danielle Marie?" Calleigh suggested.

"MMM, like that one. Maybe Evelyn Grace?" Eric offered. The others nodded and Horatio jotted it down on the list they were making.

"What do you guys think of Cassie Jane?" Horatio wondered. The others said they liked that one as well.

"So we have Carolyn Joy, Danielle Marie, Evelyn Grace, and Cassie Jane is that all?" Speed asked, reading the list.

"What names do you like Tim?" Calleigh asked the New Yorker.

"What about Casey Lynn?" Speed said.

"Write that one down to," Eric told him.

"So we have five names, now how do we narrow it down to just one?" Calleigh asked.

"Put them all in a hat and draw one of them out?" Eric offered.

"That could work, we all like the names that were suggested, don't we?" Horatio confirmed.

"Yep," Eric answered.

"I think we should get an impartial person to draw it, though. Maybe Alexx?" Calleigh said.

"Yeah, let's go ask her," Horatio said as they made their way down the hall. They'd been sitting in Horatio's office. Shift had ended ten minutes before and he knew Alexx would still be cleaning up and putting the morgue back just like she wanted it.

"Hi, Alexx, we need your help," he said greeting her.

"Hello, sugar, what can I do for you?" Alexx asked cheerfully.

"We've narrowed the list of baby girl names down to five but we can't decide from their," Speed said.

"We've decided to put them in a hat and draw one out of it, but we want someone who's impartial so we were wondering if you'd do it?" Calleigh asked.

"I'd be honored to. What names have you picked?" the M.E wondered.

"Carolyn Joy, Danielle Marie, Evelyn Grace, Cassie Jane, and Casey Lynn," Eric read from the list.

"Those are all beautiful names. Any of them would suit this baby," Alexx complimented.

"We like them to," Eric said. Alexx took the paper and cut the names apart before folding them. Then she took them and mixed them up in her hands before placing them in a hat of her son's he'd left in her office. She shook them up again making sure they were thoroughly mixed.

"Are you ready to see what your daughter will be named?"

"Yes," they answered together.

"Drum roll, please," she teased. Eric and Speed tapped their hands on the counter.

"And the baby name goes to…" Alexx paused for affect.

"Alexx," Speed whimed.

"Don't whine, Timmy, it's not attractive," she told him. Tim had a mock afronted look on his face.

"She's right, babe. Whining isn't attractive," Eric teased.

"Oh shut up, Eric," Speed responded lightly shoving him.

"Do yall wanna know the name of your daughter or not?" Alexx questioned them. Instantly both men were standing still and stairing excitedly at her.

"And the baby name goes to, Ms. Carolyn Joy Delko!" she announced.

"We can't wait to see you Carolyn Joy," Speed crooned as he placed a hand on Calleigh's stomach. Just then Carolyn kicked in response.

"I think someone likes her name," Calleigh said.

"I do to," Speed agreed.

"Thanks for helping us, Alexx," Eric told her.

"It was my pleasure I'm just as excited about this baby as you are. It'll be nice to have another baby in the lab family. My two and Shelly are growing so fast," she said wistfully.

"I can't believe she's so close to being here," Horatio said happily.

"Neither can I," Eric added.

"It'll be here before you know it and the three of you will be begging for just one night of good sleep," Alexx warned.

"Oh but it will be worth it in the end," Speed answered.

"Yes it will," Calleigh murmured.

"How goes the preparations in the nursery?" Alexx asked.

"Very slowly we were actually going to ask you if you'd like to come over this weekend and help us? We need to paint and put the furniture together, and Cal can't be around the paint fumes," Eric said.

"The doctor said as long as the windows were open I could be," she protested.

"No, we aren't letting you anywhere near them," Horatio told her as he removed his sunglasses and let them dangle from his fingers as he placed both hands firmly on his hips.

"Give it up, Cal, when he has his hands on his hips and the sunglasses off, it's a lost cause," Speed said.

"Yeah I know your right," Calleigh said in resignation.

"Am I that predictable?" the redhead complained.

"Only to those of us who know you," Calleigh told him.

"I'd be happy to help. Have you asked Val and the others?" Alexx wondered.

"Yeah, everyone's promised to come help in some way or another," Horatio answered her.

"I'll be there Saturday morning ready to work," she promised. "What theme are you doing?" she asked.

"We've decided to do a teddy bear theme. We figured that would be a good theme for either a boy or a girl. Now that we know it's a girl we know the color we're painting the walls. We're planning on painting the walls a pale pink with the teddy bear border across the top of the wall," Eric described.

"It sounds lovely," Alexx complimented.

"Thank you," Horatio thanked her.

"Yourwelcome," she replied. "Now, go on and get out of here. I don't want to see any of you four until tomorrow," she gently scolded them.

"Yes ma'am," Speed said giving her a mock salute as he turned and walked out of the morgue.

"That boy..." Alexx said in exasperation.

"Yeah, but you love all of him including his sarcastic personality," Horatio told her.

"That I do," she agreed. "Now, get out of here," she ordered. Nodding the remaining members of the team headed out the same direction Speed had taken just moments before.

TBC?

A/n, this is the last chapter I have written ahead of time. More will come as soon as I can write it. Thank you for all the reviews, please keep them coming.


	43. Chapter 43

"Do you think she suspects anything?" Valera asked as she, Yelina, Adel, and Alexx decorated for Calleigh and the boys baby shower.

"No, I know the guys are in the dark as well. Frank took them on a guy's day out," Adel told the group.

"Yeah, I told Calleigh I'd be at her place to pick her up in an hour. I figured it would be good for them to have baby stuff at her place as well so if she ever wants to keep the baby there," Alexx commented. The others nodded as they continued decorating. An hour later both Alexx and Frank pulled up to the picnic shelter they'd rented for the day. The four of them had puzzled looks on their faces as they climbed from the cars.

"What's all this?" Calleigh asked.

"It's a baby shower for you and the guys," Valera answered her. The guys and Calleigh smiled in appreciation.

The baby shower went well and the expectant parents got a lot of gifts. An eight-month-pregnant Calleigh was sitting in a chair Alexx had set up for her.

"Hey, Cal, can we talk to you about something?" Horatio questioned as he, Speed, and Eric walked up.

"Sure, what is it?"

"We've been thinking and it would probably be a good idea if you move in with us until the baby's born," Eric explained.

"I think that's a great idea," Calleigh agreed.

"I'm surprised you agreed so easily," Speed commented.

"I know, but, it's what's best for Carolyn," the expectant mother explained.

"We've worked it out so that once you take your maternity leave in two weeks one of us will always be off so when you go into labor," Horatio told her.

"You're going to spread the team to thin, you can't do that," Calleigh protested.

"H already took care of it, don't worry about it, Cal," Eric replied. Sighing in defeat, Calleigh flashed a sweet smile as she rubbed her stomach. The baby was very active today.

"I'll agree to that last part, but only on one condition," the ballistics expert stated.

"What's that?" Horatio wondered.

"If the case load gets really heavy all of you will work, and I'll call you at work if I go into labor."

"You've got yourself a deal," Horatio said.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Calleigh teased as she held out her hands to have the guys help her to her feet.

"I wish I didn't have to go on maternity leave," Calleigh lamented as she walked into the locker room after shift two weeks later.

"You're the only person who I know who is annoyed because you have to take time off work for maternity leave," Eric teased as he went to his locker.

"Yeah, well I love my job. Besides, I hate when other people are in my lab," she whined.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure the temp puts everything back like he found it."

"Thank you," she said yawning.

"Tired?" the Cuban-Russian CSI asked putting an arm around his best friend.

"Yeah, this little girl is wearing me out."

"Hey there, Carolyn, stop being so hard on your Mommy. That's not nice." As he was talking he was rubbing circles on her swollen stomach. They could both feel the baby calming down.

"C'mon, let's go home. H and Speed headed home to fix dinner a few minutes ago."

"That sounds wonderful," Calleigh replied grabbing her purse and closing her locker before following Eric out of the crime lab and to his car.

8888888888888888888

Dinner had been eaten and now the four of them were gathered in the nursery. Everyone had helped put it together. Calleigh and Alexx had put all the clothes and toys away. Everyone else put the furniture together and the guys painted the walls a pale green once they were sure Calleigh was far enough way that the fumes wouldn't harm her or Carrie. Calleigh laughed as she remembered the paint fight the guys had gotten into.

"What's so funny?" Speed wondered.

"I was just remembering the paint fight you guys got in," the blonde answered.

"That was such a mess, but so fun," Eric said.

"I'll never forget the look on Frank's face when the two of you threw the paint brush at him covering his face in green paint," Horatio said pointing to Eric and Speed.

"It was payback for him putting whipped cream on us at Alexx's barbeque," Speed said.

"With you three as her father's Carrie will never truly grow up, will she?" Calleigh teased fondly. The three men shook their heads. They continued talking and looking at the nursery for a bit longer until Calleigh began to fade.

"Well I think I'm heading to bed, night yall." The guys nodded in agreement, they were worn out as well.

8888888888888888888888

Calleigh sat up in bed unsure what had woken her. A moment later she realized what had. Pain went through her stomach causing her to cry out. Speed who was on the way back from getting a drink in the kitchen hurried into the guest room.

"You okay, Cal?"

"No, I think I'm in labor." Jumping into action Speed woke the others and within five minutes they were heading off to the hospital.

TBC?

A/n, read and review!


	44. Chapter 44

"Are you sure she's not in labor?" Horatio checked. They'd been at the hospital for only a few minutes when Calleigh's doctor showed up and told them that she actually wasn't in labor.

"No, it was just Braxton hicks contractions, also known as false labor. It was just a false alarm," Karen told them.

"But they hurt," Calleigh complained.

"I know they did, but they aren't anything compared to the real thing," the doctor replied.

"You mean those hurt even more?" the ballistics expert asked incredulously. She knew that child birth was painful, but she hadn't been prepared for just how painful.

"I'm afraid so, Cal," Karen answered.

"Are the Braxton hicks contractions normal?" Eric questioned.

"Yes, they're completely normal."

"Is there anything she needs to do or we need to do for her because of them?" Speed wanted to know.

"No, just make sure she takes it easy and rests."

"I'll see you next Monday for your appointment. Now that your eight months along I want to see you weekly," the doctor instructed the expectant mother.

"Okay, see you then," Calleigh said with a yawn.

"C'mon, let's get you two home," Speed said helping the expectant mother to her feet and slinging an arm over her shoulders.

"Sorry for all the trouble," Calleigh apologized.

"It's no trouble at all. Call me if you need me or if it's an emergency head straight here and they'll get a hold of me," Karen told them.

"I still can't believe I was so stupid to think I was in labor," Calleigh said blushing.

"Don't worry about it. It's a natural reaction when you're experiencing Braxton hicks contractions. I had false alarms with all three of my kids," the OBGYN assured. Calleigh smiled she felt less stupid now that she knew even a trained OBGYN thought that Braxton Hicks contractions were the real thing.

"See you next week," Calleigh called out as she headed out of the hospital ready to get some much needed sleep.

"You're going to work, and that's final," the ballistics expert protested hands on her hips a week later.

"But Cal," Eric protested. It was his day to hang with Calleigh and she was fighting him on it.

"Remember our deal, Eric? If the lab was slammed whoever was supposed to hang with me would go into work. I'm fine, I promise." Eric sighed reluctantly. He knew she was right, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Okay, fine, I'll go, but call if you need anything," the male CSI demanded.

"I will, now get out of here," Calleigh said waving a hand. Laughing the Cuban-Russian headed out the door leaving the blonde to her own devices. Little did he know what they'd be coming home to?

"I see Calleigh reminded you of the deal we made?" Horatio teased as he saw Eric walk into the break room.

"Yeah, man that's one stubborn woman."

"Don't let her hear you say that. Trust me it's a bad idea, I still have the bruise to prove it," Speed said gently touching his cheek where a hardback book had collided with it the week before after he'd accidentally called his pregnant friend stubborn.

"Don't you guys know better than to call a pregnant woman names?" Alexx demanded. The three guys nodded causing the M.E to laugh.

"I was just about to do the autopsy on your case, Timmy," she told the New Yorker.

"I'll be right down, just have to get a couple things first."

"Okay, see you then," the mother of the team said exiting the room.

"No rest for the weary," Eric commented.

"Or the wicked," Valera teased as she walked by.

"Hey," Eric protested throwing a paper towel at her. The others just laughed at the pair.

Meanwhile back at the house. Calleigh was furiously cleaning the kitchen. She'd decided shortly after Eric left that the house needed to be cleaned from top to bottom. She was currently scrubbing the counters to within an inch of their life. She'd been cleaning ever since Eric had left and that was four hours ago. Calleigh knew she was experiencing what all the pregnancy books called the nesting instinct. Women felt the need to clean or do other tasks to ensure the baby was coming into the safest and most healthy environment they could be born into. Logically she knew she didn't need to do these things, but she couldn't seem to stop. Once she was done in the kitchen she walked into the nursery and began feverishly cleaning it. She took each outfit out one-by-one and unfolded it then refolded it. Once she was satisfied that each outfit was perfect she placed them back into the dresser. Moving on to the closet she proceeded to take every outfit off its hanger and iron it to within an inch of its life before hanging it meticulously back on the hanger and placing it in the closet. She'd just finished ironing the nursery curtains when she decided to reorganize the kitchen cabinets. Having just rearranged which cabinets held which dishes according to their purpose in the kitchen, Calleigh decided the spice rack should be organized by size rather than alphabetically like it currently was.

The expectant mother was trying to determine which container was bigger, season salt or cinnamon when she heard the front door open and the three guys walk in.

"What the?" Speed exclaimed when they walked into the house to find every surface gleaming and some of the things rearranged. They continued to take in the sparkling clean house admiring the changes that had taken place.

"Calleigh, where are you?" Horatio called out.

"Kitchen," replied the southern bell. The three male criminalists wandered into the kitchen and stopped in their tracks at the sight of the blonde holding the cinnamon and the season salt apparently studying them intently. Walking over to the cabinet where the glasses were kept Eric opened it wanting to get a nice cold drink of water. He frowned when he looked into the cabinet and found plates not the glasses he was expecting to find.

"They're in the cabinet above the sink," Calleigh explained.

"Uh... okay?" Eric answered in a bewildered tone.

"Which ones bigger, cinnamon or season salt?" the ballistics expert demanded shoving the two items in her lieutenant's face.

"Uh, I'm not sure," the redhead answered hesitantly.

"No problem, that's what this is for," Calleigh said grabbing a ruler sitting on the counter and measuring both containers. "The cinnamon is 14 inches and the season salt is 13 inches, so the cinnamon goes here and the season salt goes here," she said placing the containers in the correct spots. "There, now the spice racks organized properly," the Louisiana native declared with a broad smile.

"Uh, Cal, are you feeling okay, sweetheart?" Horatio asked carefully.

"Of course I am, what do you mean?"

"Uh, well..." the redhead broke off not sure how to finish his sentence.

"What he means is how long have you been at this and why?" Eric tried to explain.

"Since you left this morning, and as for the why, the house just needed to be cleaned.

"Cleaned, I understand, but why in the world are you ordering the spice rack according to size? Have you gone absolutely bonkers?" Speed asked. The trace expert's words hung in the air. The other two men could see the colossal mistake their lover had just made, but apparently he didn't. . Everyone could see the change in Calleigh and the tension in the kitchen began to build. Both Horatio and Eric drew in a sharp breath and glared at Speed.

"What did I do?" Tim wondered holding his hands up.

"I. have. Not. Gone. Absolutely. Bonkers.," Calleigh growled each word measured and clipped. "I just want to make sure the house my baby girl is living in is clean. What's wrong with that?" the blonde demanded her green eyes flashing.

"N-n-nothing, I'm sorry," Tim stuttered.

"You should be. I'm just trying to make this house safe for Carolyn, and all you can do is stand their and make fun of me. Well I don't have to listen to it anymore." With that her anger vanished and was replaced with big fat tears. Bursting into tears, Calleigh fled from the kitchen as quickly as her heavily pregnant body would allow.

"Fuck," Speed groaned thumping his head on the wall.

"You can say that again," Horatio said. They all winced as the door to the guest room slammed.

"What do I do?" Speed asked worriedly.

"You fix this, you idiot," Eric told him.

"Yeah, I know that, but how?"

"First of all, make her a cup of tea and go get that box of Caramel Delights that we've been hiding from her. Then take it to her with a sincere apology," Horatio suggested.

"Make sure to tell her that you know what an idiot you are," Eric added helpfully.

"Yeah, yeah, I will, there's just one problem with that," Speed said.

"What's that?" Eric wondered.

"I can't find the mugs."

"Try above the coffee maker. It looks like she's organizing according to purpose," Horatio supplied. Nodding Speed got out the mug and began preparing a cup of camomile tea. Once it was fixed he got the box of girl scout cookies that they'd hidden in the freezer out and placed it on the tray. Calleigh had a non-stop craving for Girl Scout cookies, more specifically Caramel Delights so they'd been forced to hide a few boxes to make them last the entire pregnancy.

"I'm going in, wish me luck," the New Yorker requested.

"Good luck," the other two guys said in unison laughing at Tim's frightened face.

"It's not funny, I'm about to go face off against a hormonal pregnant woman."

"Speed, just do us all a favor and shut up? You're lible to get yourself killed and maybe one of us in the crossfire," Eric said. By this point Speed had reached the door.

"Oh, crap, do you think she has her gun in there with her?" he asked clearly worried.

"For your sake, I hope not," Horatio muttered just as Speed knocked on the door.

TBC?

A/n, will Calleigh shoot Speed? He really should know better than to piss off a pregnant woman, shouldn't he? Please read and review.


	45. Chapter 45

"What?" Calleigh called through the door. Tim could her still crying softly.

"It's Tim, can I come in please? I brought you some tea and cookies." There was a full minute of silence which made the New Yorker nervous.

"Fine, I guess," she reluctantly answered. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pushed open the door and carefully entered the room. He was thankful to note that the ballistics expert didn't have her gun anywhere in sight.

"Are you checking to see if I'm holding my gun?" Calleigh asked. Blushing, Speed nodded.

"I thought about it, but no, I didn't get it out," she answered. Tim breathed a sigh of relief. Calleigh tried really hard not to smile when she saw his relief, but she wasn't alltogether successful.

"You have something to tell me?" she questioned.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry for what I said. I'm a first class idiot. I know you're not bonkers. You just want to make sure Carrie grows up in a safe place," Speed said sweetly as he placed the tray with the tea and cookies on the table beside the expectant mother's bed.

"Apology accepted, just make sure to never say anything like that ever again," Calleigh cautioned.

"I'll remember that for next time. Now, I think Eric's figured out your organization system enough to make spaghetti for dinner. What do you say? Are you up for it?"

"You bet, spaghetti sounds delicious. I'll be in there just as soon as I finish my tea and cookies," the blonde replied shoving a cookie in her mouth and moaning in pleasure. XXXX

"Another piece of garlic bread, Cal?" Horatio asked holding out the basket of bread.

"No, but could you pass the lemonade?"

"Here you go," the redhead said handing it to her. Her glass was about half full when a frown crossed her face and she let the pitcher fall to the table spilling lemonade on to the table.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" she screamed clutching at her stomach.

"Calleigh?" Eric called.

"Oh god, it hurts," Calleigh cried. Just then she felt wetness between her legs. "Oh no, my water just broke," she gasped as another contraction hit. All three guys stared between the growing pool of lemonade on the table to the wet spot forming on the floor. None of them seemed to register the blonde's words. "Hello, did yall here me? I said I think my water just broke! I'm in labor! Owwww!" the expectant mother shouted as another much stronger contraction ripped through her abdomen. Simultaneously they all three jumped to their feet and leapt into action. Eric helped Calleigh to her feet while Horatio cleaned up the mess and Speed grabbed her hospital bag and his keys.

"Okay, let's go, I've got the bag and my keys," he called out. Nodding, Horatio and Eric guided a slightly doubled over Calleigh out of the house and to Speed's car. He still drove his bike, but now that he was going to be a father, he needed a car as well.

"Who do you want in back with you, sweetheart?" Horatio questioned.

"Eric, please," Calleigh replied through gritted teeth. Nodding the Cuban-Russian CSI climbed in back with her and held out a hand for her to squeeze anytime she needed it. The other two men hopped into the front and after making sure everyone was buckled, they headed off for the hospital. XXXX

By the time they got their, Eric was pretty sure he'd lost all feeling in his right hand. He even thought it might be broken, but he wasn't sure. Calleigh had one hell of a grip, he mused. The end result was worth enough for him not to complain about the pain. It was no where near the pain she was going through. Five minutes later they had Calleigh in a wheelchair and they were taking her up to labor and delivery. Horatio had taken over holding her hand so Eric could call her doctor. Speed had been sent for ice chips. Twenty minutes later, the doctor entered the room where the four of them were at. XXXX

"Hi, there, Cal. You're back, I see," she greeted.

"Yeah, and this time, I think it's real. Oh hell, here comes another one," she cried out. Flinging her hand out she reached for whatever she could find. That just happened to be Speed's hand. He opened his mouth about to cry out and protest, but two identical death glares from his lovers silenced him.

"Just shut up and take it," Eric mouthed. Horatio nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let's check you and see how far along you are," the doctor said moving to the foot of the bed.

"Sounds good to me," the expectant mother agreed.

"It looks like you're already 4 CM dilated."

"So what does that mean?" Eric wondered.

"It means she's almost halfway there. Would you like an epidural for the pain?" the doctor asked. Immediately Calleigh nodded her head.

"Yes, please, give me something for the pain."

"I'll have someone come in and give you that here real soon. I'll be back to check on you a little bit later," Karen said leaving the room.

"I'll go call Alexx and everyone else," Horatio said leaving the room.

"Thanks, Horatio," Calleigh said with a small smile.

"It's my pleasure. Thank you for giving us this little miracle," he said patting her hand. XXXX

Three hours later.

"One more good push and she'll be here," the doctor coaxed.

"I can't, I'm too tired," the laboring woman complained collapsing on to the pillows. Her hair was sweaty and stuck to her face and she was exhausted.

"You can do this, Cal. I can't think of anyone else who can," Speed encouraged as he gently wiped her face with a cool cloth.

"Tim's right, I know you can do it to," Eric encouraged.

"Just look at it this way. The sooner you push, the sooner we all get to meet Carolyn," Horatio tried.

"You're right, okay, one more push, but only one," Calleigh replied.

"I want you to push on the next contraction," the doctor instructed.

"Oh god, I have to push! I have to push now!" Calleigh cried.

"Push whenever you feel you need to," Karen coached. Tucking her chin to her chest and clutching Eric and Speed's hands for dear life and staring directly at Horatio she bore down and pushed as hard as she could.

"I can see the head. You're doing great," Eric said choking up as he saw his first glimpse of his daughter.

"Heads out, one more push and we'll have the shoulders."

"You lied, you said that last time, I can't do another push," Calleigh whined.

"Yes you can, you have to," Dr. Johnston argued.

"I c-c-can't," Calleigh whimpered. Her body betrayed her, however, because she could feel another contraction building and the urge to push was to strong. She began pushing automatically. "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she screamed. She could feel the doctor guiding the shoulders out then she felt her baby daughter slip from her body. Smiling broadly, Karen held the baby up for all of them to see. After she cleared her mouth and nose she smiled when she heard her give a healthy cry.

"It's a girl, 7 LBS, 7 OZ, 20 inches long, born at 11:54 PM, June 22, 2010," the nurse announced.

"Here you go, Mommy. Here's your baby," she said placing the tiny girl on Calleigh's chest.

"She's absolutely perfect," Calleigh breathed.

"That she is," Eric replied.

"Just like her mama," Speed added.

"Welcome to the world, Carolyn Joy Delko," Horatio whispered as he stared transfixed at his newborn daughter.

TBC?

A/n, read and review!


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